FRESHDIRECT SOURCED
FOODS IN SEASON
FreshDirect partner Foods In Season sources wild ingredients from the lands and waters of the Pacific Northwest. They work directly with independent fishers and foragers to harvest river-caught salmon, native mushrooms, and other treasures that can only be found in nature. Founder John Anderson and his team showed us why intimate collaboration and a respect for the environment are essential to sourcing foods of such pristine quality.
The Foods In Season story goes back to founder John Anderson’s childhood, when his mother showed him how to forage for mushrooms around their farm. Decades later, a man came to his town looking for wild morel mushrooms. John knew where they grew, so he picked and sold them to the man. Realizing that this could be profitable, he began picking more, selling his finds to restaurants around Portland. From there, the business grew into something even bigger.
Nowadays, Foods In Season’s offerings include a wide range of vegetables and seafood sourced from the Pacific Northwest. FreshDirect is lucky to be able to offer these wild finds—only a small handful of grocers work with foragers. In particular, their wild salmon has become a favorite that our customers await the return of every year. “If it wasn’t for FreshDirect,” John says, “people wouldn’t be able to get access to some of this stuff.”
Columbia River Salmon: A Living Heritage
Foods In Season partners with families who have fished the Columbia River for generations, including members of the local indigenous tribal communities. This partnership is built on a foundation of mutual respect and a shared commitment to sustainability. Their fisheries catch King Chinook salmon from the river’s pristine waters. The season’s harvest is carefully monitored, with only a small amount of fish caught for consumption. The majority are left to spawn, ensuring a healthy and thriving salmon population for years to come.
Shortly after being caught, the whole fish are flown to New York and cut by FreshDirect’s seafood team just before they’re packed for each order—this ensures that they arrive to you at peak freshness and flavor. In John’s words, Foods In Season simply “takes these beautiful King Chinook salmon and they will just go in the box. We don’t do much to it.” The fish is kept whole to preserve its freshness and is cut just before it gets to you. This minimal handling allows you to experience the unadulterated flavor of one of the “last true wild foods that you can find.” It’s a real taste of the natural splendor of the northwest.
Foraging for Wild Mushrooms
Wild foraged mushrooms are still a big part of Foods In Season’s business. Sourced from the forests of Oregon, California, Idaho, and Montana, these are not your average grocery store mushrooms. These are the gifts of true seasonality and a connectedness to the land, each gathered by hand by foragers who have a deep, intimate knowledge of their natural surroundings.
From velvety chanterelles to their signature morels, the variety of mushrooms that Foods In Season provides is a testament to the biodiversity of the region. These mushrooms are free from fertilizers, pesticides, and any human intervention. As John puts it, “it’s a smell and a feel and a texture and a visual. It takes in all your senses, so that’s what we desire.” For the chefs and home cooks who get to enjoy these finds, the experience is multi-sensory: the earthy aroma, the supple feel and texture, and the beauty that only comes from the wild.
From Nature, with Respect
Foods In Season isn’t about scale. It’s about sourcing with purpose and preserving what’s precious. Each item tells a story of place, tradition, and people.
FreshDirect is proud to partner with Foods In Season to offer these rare, exceptional ingredients. They’re a reminder that the most unforgettable flavors come not from a factory, but from the forests and rivers—the wild places—that still exist if you know where to look.