What’s in Season this Spring?
Buying produce in season makes forehead-smackingly simple sense: not only are fruits and vegetables more plentiful and flavorful when allowed to ripen in their own sweet time, but buying in season gives you the most bang for your shopping buck — it’s why good chefs swap out seasonal menus in their own restaurants. Cruising your neighborhood farmer’s market or the produce section of your favorite independent grocer often yields some surprisingly tasty deals, as the sudden glut of Spring produce drives prices down. For example, I recently found some incredibly ripe, sweet organic navel oranges at the City Fresh produce stand in the Chicago French Market for a delightful $1.59 per pound. I schlepped home a huge sackful — I’m no idiot.
Purists may argue that there is no real Spring Produce Season, but rather we’re caught in that annual ”perfect storm” climate period when winter’s growing season ends and summer’s begins. I say, pay no attention to those cranky bastards, and head instead to your produce purveyor’s for fresh asparagus, strawberries and other tastes of Spring. And take with you this In Season Shopping List, published by www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org, an excellent website espousing the “fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables” healthy eating habit. Sounds good to me:
- Apricots
- Artichokes
- Asparagus
- Barbados Cherries
- Belgian Endive
- Bitter Melon
- Broccoli
- Butter Lettuce
- Cactus
- Chayote Squash
- Cherimoya (a “Custard Apple” with a soft, sweet, tropical-tasting flesh)
- Chives
- Collard Greens
- Corn
- Fava Beans (and a nice Chianti ?)
- Fennel
- Fiddlehead Ferns
- Green Beans (try oven-roasting with olive oil, garlic and sea salt!)
- Honeydew
- Jackfruit
- Limes
- Lychee
- Mangos
- Manoa Lettuce
- Morel Mushrooms (Happy hunting!)
- Mustard Greens
- Oranges
- Pea Pods
- Pineapple
- Purple Asparugs
- Radicchio
- Ramps
- Red Leaf Lettuce
- Rhubarb
- Snow Peas
- Sorrel
- Spinach
- Spring Baby Lettuce
- Strawberries
- Swiss Chard
- Vidalia Onions
- Watercress
- White Asparagus
If you have a great recipe to share that takes advantage of any of our Spring Produce, please share it below. And if you’d like more information, email me at ShawnaBohnVoyage@gmail.com or follow @salutadventures on Twitter.
Related articles
- Fresh local asparagus sings with flavor (charlestoncitypaper.com)
- Spring food on my menu (mnn.com)
- The Best Spring Produce for a Frugal Food Budget (mint.com)
