Once winter begins to wane and the weather starts to change, along comes spring’s seasonal produce to perk up our weary palettes. In-season produce is usually abundant, fresher (because it’s grown locally), tastier and affordable.
It’s a good idea to utilize in-season produce in our spring cooking. It provides the biggest nutritional “bang for the buck” and brings the flavors of the season to our table.
Vegetables and fruits that are in season throughout the spring months include:
- Artichokes – Should have tight leaf formation, deep green color and be heavy for their size.
- Arugula (Rocket) – a pungent, leafy green vegetable resembling lettuce. Choose firm, undamaged bright green leaves.
- Asparagus – Choose stalks that are bright apple green with tight purple tips.
- Beets – Choose smooth, firm, small ones. Beet greens should be bright green with red veins running through them.
- Cherries – Should be large, firm and have deep color.
- Dandelion greens – Choose stiff leaves with pointy, fine “teeth.”
- Fava beans – Choose firm pods that feel soft and smooth on the side.
- Fiddleheads – highly nutritious young wild ferns. Choose those that are firm, bright green, tightly wound and with stems no longer than an inch or two.
- Green onions/Scallions/Spring Onions – Look for bright green tops and firm, white bases.
- Kiwis – Choose plump, unwrinkled fruit which is firm or slightly yielding.
- Kohlrabi – the root is frequently used raw in salad or slaws with a texture similar to a broccoli stem, but with a sweeter flavor. Look for fresh, bright leaves, even color and small size.
- Kumquats – Look for bright, smooth skins that feel a bit heavy for their size.
- Leeks – Choose firm, crisp, thin to medium stalks with dark green leaves.
- Lemons – Choose firm, small fruit.
- Lettuce – Choose the crispest and freshest.
- Morels – mushrooms foraged in the wild and highly prized for their flavor. Choose plump ones whose cut end isn’t completely dried out.
- New potatoes – Look for firm, smooth-skinned ones with bright red color and shallow eyes.
- Pea greens – Look for bright vines with fresh, vibrant leaves.
- Peas (garden, snap, snow, etc.) – Choose ones that have plump, unblemished bright green pods; peas inside should be glossy, crunchy and sweet.
- Radishes – Choose ones that are small to medium sized, smooth and bright red.
- Ramps – often foraged or available at farmers markets and specialty stores, they taste like a combination of onions and strong garlic. Look for long thin bright green leaves and purple-white stalks.
- Rhubarb – Choose brightly-colored, crisp stalks with bright green tops.
- Spinach – Choose thick, crisp dark leaves.
- Strawberries – Choose brightly colored, plump berries with their green caps attached.
Of course, the produce that’s available and abundant in your neck of the woods will depend upon where you’re located. These resources will help you find the freshest produce in your immediate area:
Local Harvest
Locavore Network
Once you find those bargains on nutritious, delicious spring produce, it’s up to you to make the best of the best the season has to offer. Store them properly to ensure they stay as fresh as possible until you have the chance to enjoy them. Consult this guide for proper storage of fruits and vegetables.
When you’re ready to chow down, try these recipes to help you incorporate spring produce into your menus:
10+ Delicious Spring Salads
40 Easy Spring Produce Recipes
Cooking with Spring Fruits and Vegetables
Spring Produce at Its Best
Spring provides a great opportunity to fortify your diet with healthy produce. Celebrate the coming of spring by serving up the season’s freshest and most affordable produce.
What are your favorite spring vegetables and fruits?
{ 0 comments… add one now }