Seasonal Eating in Sarasota: What to Grow and Cook Right Now
One of the great gifts of living in Sarasota is that something is always in season. Florida’s subtropical climate means we can grow food year-round — but what grows well changes dramatically with the seasons. Understanding that rhythm is the first step toward eating locally, cooking with intention, and getting the most from your garden or your farmers market trip.
Cool Season (October – March)
This is peak growing season in Sarasota — and the time when our garden beds at Moore Bliss Farm are at their most productive. The cooler temperatures and lower humidity make it possible to grow crops that would bolt or wilt in the summer heat.
Think lettuces, kale, arugula, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, beets, radishes, snap peas, and herbs like cilantro and dill. Tomatoes and peppers can go in as early as October in Sarasota and will produce through the spring if you get them established before any cold snaps.
At the farm, this is when we host most of our farm-to-table dinners. The diversity of what’s coming out of the beds makes menu planning a joy — salads with just-picked greens, roasted root vegetables, and herb-forward dishes that taste like the season.
Warm Season (April – September)
Summer in Sarasota is hot, humid, and rainy — challenging for some crops but perfect for others. This is the season for heat-lovers: sweet potatoes, okra, southern peas, Malabar spinach, seminole pumpkin, and tropical fruits like papaya, mango, and starfruit.
Cherry tomatoes and peppers can still produce if you planted them early enough and they’re well-mulched. Herbs like basil, rosemary, and lemongrass thrive in the heat. Sweet potato slips planted in April will be ready to harvest by fall.
Our cooking classes during the warm season tend to focus on these tropical and heat-adapted ingredients — dishes that lean into what the season gives us rather than fighting against it.
Cooking with the Seasons
Seasonal eating isn’t about restriction — it’s about paying attention. When you cook with what’s actually growing right now, you don’t need to force flavors or rely on out-of-season produce that was shipped from across the hemisphere. The food speaks for itself.
At Moore Bliss Farm, our cooking classes are built around this principle. We walk the garden, pick what’s ready, and cook it together — simply, with good technique and minimal fuss. It’s the kind of cooking that reconnects you with where food actually comes from.
If you’re interested in learning to cook seasonally with farm-fresh ingredients, check our events page for upcoming cooking classes. And if you’re growing your own food in Sarasota, come to Compost Monday — the soil you build today is the garden you’ll harvest tomorrow.
