Being able to cook and grow new crops are some of the biggest changes in the new update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. You can make all kinds of dishes and even regular DIY recipes. There’s just one problem. Most of these new delicious-looking recipes require items we’ve never seen before, and it’s not readily apparent how exactly you get them.
Fear not, I’ll walk you through the best ways to get these new vegetables quickly.
How to get the new crops in Animal Crossing
There is only one (reliable) way to get the new crops from the Animal Crossing update: Leif. Our sloth friend sells starts of each of these vegetables. If you’re like me, you may have seen less reliable tips like to go searching in the cabinet in Nook’s Cranny. Well, that’s bullshit.
Leif will sell two random starts each time you see him.
Now, I did say that’s the only reliable way. Another option is by visiting the island tours with Kapp’n, which were also added in the update. However, there are lots of island types, and you can only take one of these trips a day, so it’s not exactly a quick option to get all the crops you want. But they are free to dig up! After you pay the 1,000 Nook Miles to get there, that is.
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How often does Leif visit your island?
Like the other island visitors, Leif’s check-ins are fairly random. He’ll stop by about once a week or once every two weeks. You can guess at when he’s due based on the other recent visitors, but there’s no set schedule.
That said, there’s a better option for wannabe farmers.
How to unlock Leif on Harv’s Island
Leif has one of the stalls available on Harv’s Island as part of the entrepreneurial doggy’s new co-op in the 2.0 update. I highly recommend unlocking Leif’s shop first, specifically so you can get growing those vegetables. It costs 100,000 Bells to unlock, and once you do, he’ll set up shop the next day.
Leif will still visit your island, but on days he’s not there, you can reliably buy from him on Harv’s Island, which is free to visit. Leif will still stock two crop starts at a time, and his inventory seems to change every day.
Still, for whatever reason, I’ve noticed he tends to stock sugarcane and pumpkins the most often for me. It’s unclear whether this is seasonal, but rest assured, all the crops should eventually appear. Just be sure to check back each day.
How to grow the new crops
Luckily, Animal Crossing primed us for crop growing with the pumpkins it added last year. The mechanic works exactly the same. Plant a start, wait a few days for it to ripen, and then harvest. I recommend buying in bulk. Five is good to make a couple of recipes, then maybe save some to plant, which will give you a new sprout of that vegetable.
For sugarcane and wheat, buying 10 is ideal since you’ll need five of each to make flour, whole-wheat flour, sugar, and brown sugar (wheat for the flours and sugarcanes for the sugars).
The new crops include sugarcane, wheat, carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes. But the existing pumpkins are also used in plenty of recipes. These can be used to make all types of dishes, especially with fish or other fruit in the game. You’ll start uncovering more recipes as you speak with villagers and catch fish normally, as well.
