Why Should You Eat In-Season Fruit?
Native Fruits of Texas
Mustang Grapes
There are several grapes native to Texas, but the mustang grape is the most common. It’s incredibly tart and highly acidic. You will most likely find these in Eastern Texas in wooded areas. Look for large vines draping over fences and climbing up trees. Wear gloves when plucking this fruit because the acid can irritate your skin. Mustang grapes are in season from May through July, and you can use them to make jams, jellies, cobblers, and wine.
Agarita
This fruit consists of red berries surrounded by sharp, pointy green leaves, similar to holly. The berries are sweet and slightly tart and make a pleasantly sweet jelly. You can find these plants in Edward’s Plateau and the Trans-Pecos regions from May to early June. They grow under oak and elm trees, along fences, or at the edges of wooded areas. Picking this fruit can be difficult due to the prickly leaves.
Dewberry
Dewberries are wild blackberries and are technically members of the rose family. You may see these berries in their different stages, from green to red to black, but they are sweetest in May when they are entirely black and ripe. They taste great picked from the vine, or you can take them home and make cobblers, pies, and jams. You can also create an excellent cobbler by combining dewberries and mustang grapes. Look for these wild berries in East and Central Texas coastal river valleys.
Prickly Pear
Flat-stemmed spiny cacti produce pear-shaped pink edible fruits. The fruit portion has thick skin covered in spines, and you must take precautions when picking and eating them. Be sure to wear protective gear like gloves, long sleeves, and long pants. Many people use barbecue tongs to pull the fruit off of the cacti carefully. Prickly pear has an unusual flavor that resembles a tart, underripe strawberry. Some people have described it as a mix between watermelon and bubblegum. This fruit has gained popularity over the years, and you can now find it in syrup, candy, jellies, and juice. You can find these plants all over Texas, and they are ready to pick in late summer to fall.
Western Mayhaw
Mayhaw is a medium-sized tree, called a hawthorn, that produces a cranberry-like berry. When ripe, they will simply fall off the tree, and pickers can just scoop them up. You will often find these plants in shallow water along rivers in East Texas near the Louisiana state line. Mayhaws are far too tart to eat straight from the tree, and many people use this fruit to make a delicious jelly. You can pick these from the ground in April and May.
Chickasaw Plums
You will find wild plums all over Texas, and the most common is the Chickasaw plum which grows in thickets on East Texas prairies. This plum species are red, juicy, and sweet, and you can eat it off the tree. Or bring it home and make jams, jellies, pies, and wine. They are ripe from July through September.
Texas Persimmons
The Texas persimmon is a small tree that produces black fruit shaped similarly to a tomato. Persimmons contain large amounts of tannin, a natural defensive compound that can make you sick if you ingest too much. Be sure to pick them when they are fully ripe during the fall. They are not mature until they start to look bad (wrinkled and soft). You can find these trees in Central and South Texas and use them to make puddings, bread, and jellies.
What Texas Fruits are in Season Each Month?
Use this handy guide to help you choose the best in-season fruit in Texas for every month.
January Through March
GrapefruitOrangesTangerinesLemonsLimesSquash (acorn, butternut, and spaghetti)
April
StrawberriesBlackberriesGrapefruitOrangesCucumbersButternut squashTomatoes
May
PeachesStrawberriesBlackberriesGrapefruitBlueberriesPlumsCucumbersSummer SquashButternut squashTomatoesTomatillos
June
PeachesStrawberriesBlueberriesPlumsMelonsWatermelonSquash (blossoms, butternut, zephyr, summer, zucchini, yellow)CucumbersSweet pepperHot peppersEggplantsTomatoesBlackberriesTomatillos
July
PeachesMelons (canteloupe, honeydew, and Korean)WatermelonSquash (summer, blossoms, butternut, acorn, spaghetti, delicata, yellow, zucchini, pattypan)CucumbersSweet peppersHot peppersEggplantsTomatoes (cherry, Roma, grape, heirloom)Tomatillos
August
PersimmonsFigsMelons (watermelon, cantaloupe, canary, Korean, honeydew)TomatoesSquash (blossoms, butternut, acorn, spaghetti, delicata, yellow, zucchini, pattypan)CucumberSweet peppersHot peppersEggplantTomatoes (Juliet, chocolate, golden cherry, heirloom, red)PeachesPrickly pearTomatillos
September
PersimmonsFigsPearsMelons (watermelon, cantaloupe, canary, Korean, Spanish) Squash (butternut, spaghetti, delicate, acorn, yellow, zucchini)CucumbersSweet peppersHot peppersEggplantsTomatoesPrickly pearTomatillos
October
GrapefruitOrangesLemonsLimesPersimmonsPearsApplesPumpkinsSquash (zucchini, yellow, spaghetti, butternut, summer, delicate, acorn)CucumbersHot peppersSweet peppersEggplantsTomatoesMelons
November
GrapefruitOrangesLemonsLimesApplesPumpkinsSquash (zucchini, yellow, spaghetti, butternut, acorn)CucumbersSweet peppersHot peppersEggplantsTomatoesPecansPearsPersimmons
December
GrapefruitOrangesLemonsLimesApplesPumpkinsSquash (spaghetti, butternut, acorn)PecansCucumbers
