How far in advance do I need to book my caterer?

I'm having an issue finding a caterer. The first issue, is that I live in California (but the wedding is on Long Island). Planning the wedding remotely has mostly not been an issue, except I can't do any tastings while I'm on the other side of the country. I was just home and did four tastings this week, but was honestly disappointed by all of them. So I still don't have a caterer and the next time I'm going to be home is in November around Thanksgiving time. My wedding is the following September and I'm worried that 10 months in advance is cutting it too close. I know that the real answer is 'the sooner the better', but in reality, how far ahead of time do I need to book it before caterers start to really book up for September? Can I wait until November? Or do I need to send family members to tastings over the summer and just hope they pick someone I like? (Which makes me nervous since my family and I don't always like the same foods.) Any other creative options I'm not thinking of? Any help would be much appreciated!

How far in advance do I need to book my caterer?

We booked ours at the Watermill this January for this coming November. It was less than a year. There were only a few dates open for the months we were interested in. It all depends on where you are looking. Those that host one wedding at a time will be booked quicker than thise will a couple of rooms.