What produce is in season in North Carolina in the fall?

From October into December, North Carolina farms harvest apples, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and winter squash, collards, kale, mustard greens, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, beets, turnips, Brussels sprouts and radishes. Muscadine grapes and green peanuts run through October, and new-crop pecans arrive in November.

Where can I buy fall produce in Charlotte?

Unity Farms has a year-round stand in Building B at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market, 1801 Yorkmont Road. Hours are Friday 9 AM to 2 PM, Saturday 8 AM to 4 PM, and Sunday 9 AM to 4 PM.

Straight from the field

What's in season this fall

We follow the harvest. Here's what North Carolina farms are bringing in from October into December, and what you'll find at our stand in Building B at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market.

Fall 2026 · updated October 8

On the board

October into December

ApplesHenderson County, NC
Every variety North Carolina grows, from Honeycrisp and Gala to Pink Lady and Arkansas Black. See all of them. At peak
Sweet potatoesEastern NC
Freshly cured and at their sweetest. North Carolina grows more of them than any other state. At peak
Pumpkins & winter squashNC farms
Butternut, acorn, spaghetti, delicata and pie pumpkins, plus pumpkins for the porch. At peak
Collards, kale & mustard greensNC Piedmont
Cool-weather greens get sweeter after the first frost. At peak
Cabbage, broccoli & cauliflowerNC farms
Fall brassicas, heavy and tight-headed. At peak
Carrots, beets & turnipsNC farms
Roots for roasting, soups and Sunday dinner. At peak
Brussels sprouts & radishesNC farms
Cool-season sides, at their best once nights turn cold. At peak
Muscadine grapesThe Carolinas
Bronze scuppernongs and dark muscadines, for a few more weeks only. Last weeks
Green peanutsEastern NC
Fresh-dug for boiling. The season ends with October. Last weeks
PecansThe Carolinas
New-crop pecans arrive in November, just in time for pie. November
Honey, jams & preservesSmall batch
Local honey and jars put up the old way. Good gifts, too.

What's on the table changes week to week. Check Instagram before you come, or just stop by Building B.

Every North Carolina apple

North Carolina's apple country is the mountains around Hendersonville, and we carry every variety they grow. Summer apples come out of cold storage crisp; the late keepers like Pink Lady and Arkansas Black are coming off the trees now.

North Carolina apple varieties
Variety	Taste	What it's like	Best for	Picked
Gala	Sweet	Crisp, mild and honey-sweet with a thin skin.	Snacking, lunchboxes	Aug–Sep
Fuji	Sweet	Dense, very juicy and sugary, with almost no tartness.	Eating fresh, salads	Sep–Oct
Golden Delicious	Sweet	Mellow and buttery. One of North Carolina's biggest crops.	Pies, applesauce, all-purpose	Sep–Oct
Red Delicious	Sweet	Mild and sweet. A mountain orchard staple for generations.	Eating fresh	Sep–Oct
Ginger Gold	Sweet	Crisp and gently spicy; the flesh is slow to brown.	Salads, fruit trays	Aug
Honeycrisp	Sweet-tart	Explosively crisp and juicy, with balanced sweetness.	Eating fresh	Aug–Sep
Pink Lady	Sweet-tart	Firm and fizzy-tart, and keeps its crunch for weeks.	Snacking, baking	Oct–Nov
Jonagold	Sweet-tart	Honeyed with a tangy finish. A Jonathan and Golden cross.	Baking, eating fresh	Sep–Oct
Mutsu (Crispin)	Sweet-tart	Big, green-gold and crisp, with a light spicy tang.	Pies, eating fresh	Sep–Oct
Cameo	Sweet-tart	Crisp, aromatic and lightly tart, with a hint of pear.	Eating fresh, salads	Oct
Empire	Sweet-tart	Juicy and bright, a McIntosh cross with more crunch.	Snacking, sauce	Sep
EverCrisp	Sweet-tart	A Honeycrisp and Fuji cross: crunchy, sweet, and a long keeper.	Eating fresh	Oct
Granny Smith	Tart	Sharp, green and firm. Holds its shape in the oven.	Pies, baking	Oct–Nov
Stayman Winesap	Tart	An Appalachian favorite with a spicy, wine-like tang.	Cider, applesauce	Oct
Rome Beauty	Tart	Thick-skinned and mild-tart. Made for the oven.	Baked apples	Oct
Arkansas Black	Tart	A Southern heirloom with nearly black skin. Hard at harvest, sweeter after storage.	Keeping, cider, baking	Oct–Nov

Sweet potatoes

North Carolina grows more sweet potatoes than any other state. Fresh-dug roots are cured for a week or two, which turns starch into sugar.

Covington

Roasting and casseroles

Bred at NC State and now the state's most-planted sweet potato. Rose-copper skin, deep orange flesh, sweet and moist.

Beauregard

Fries and pies

The classic orange sweet potato. Reliable, sweet and smooth, and the old standby for sweet potato pie.

Murasaki

Roasting whole

Purple skin over white flesh that turns dry, fluffy and nutty, closer to a chestnut than a yam.

O'Henry

Mashing

Cream-colored skin and white flesh with a mild, delicate sweetness. Good for people who find orange ones too sugary.

Winter squash & pumpkins

Hard-skinned and built to last through winter. Buy a few now and they'll keep until the holidays.

Butternut

Soup

Smooth, sweet and easy to peel. Roast it with onion, then blend with stock for the simplest fall soup.

Acorn

Halve and roast

Cut it in half, scoop the seeds, add butter and brown sugar, and roast cut-side up.

Spaghetti squash

Pasta swap

Roast it and the flesh pulls into long strands with a fork. Good with tomato sauce or just butter and parmesan.

Delicata

No peeling

Thin, edible skin. Slice it into rings, toss with oil and salt, and roast until the edges brown.

Pie pumpkins

Real pumpkin pie

Small, dense and sweet, unlike the big carving kind. Roast, purée and freeze some for later.

Greens & cabbage

The cool-weather side of the table. Fall is the best time of year for Southern greens.

Collards

Slow-simmered

The Southern staple. A frost or two turns some of the starch to sugar, so fall collards are the sweetest of the year.

Kale

Sautéed or raw

Curly and lacinato. Massage raw leaves with lemon and salt for salad, or wilt into soups and beans.

Mustard greens

Quick braise

Peppery and bright. Cook them with a little pork or smoked turkey, or mix them in with collards.

Cabbage

Slaw and braise

Heavy, crisp heads. Shred it for slaw or braise it in butter until it's soft and sweet.

Coming in November

The end of the produce season means the start of the tree season.

PecansNew-crop pecans from the Carolinas arrive in early November.
Fraser fir Christmas treesFresh-cut from West Jefferson, NC. Lot opens Friday, Nov 20 at 8446 Rea Road. Tree details
Wreaths & garlandHandmade from fresh fir boughs, at the tree lot from opening day.

Keeping fall produce fresh

Most of what's in season now stores well. Buy a little extra and it'll last.

Sweet potatoesKeep them out of the fridge. Cold turns the centers hard and off-tasting. A cool, dark cabinet keeps them for weeks.
Winter squash & pumpkinsStore whole in a cool, dry spot. Uncut, most keep for one to three months.
ApplesRefrigerate in the crisper drawer, away from greens. They'll stay crisp for weeks.
GreensWrap unwashed leaves in a dry towel inside a bag in the fridge. Wash right before cooking.

Availability changes week to week. Check our live harvest list or Instagram before you come.