I’ll tell you what. I have been looking forward to spring for one reason, and one reason only: all the fresh, springy produce available to eat!
© zoryanchik / Dollar Photo Club
It seems as though winter is left with far fewer delicious fruits and veggies than any other season, and spring is a great time to start adding even more produce into your diet.
This post is the 2nd post in a 4 part series featuring produce that you should be eating in season. You can find the winter edition here.
In case you missed that post or you don’t need to read it now, I’ll reiterate what I said about eating in season.
The best way to start eating a variety of foods is to start buying produce in season. When you buy produce in season, it is often cheaper than it would be other times in the year. Eating in season also means the produce you are eating is at the height of its nutrition. You can’t beat the taste of in-season produce, either!
Think of the last time you ate a fresh pineapple in the fall. It wasn’t as sweet and delicious as one you can eat in the summer, right? Same with pretty much all the produce you will find on the list below. Of course, there are the foods that are available year-round, like onions, garlic, and potatoes, but try to use those less often when they are not in season.
Spring Produce
Base your meal plan off what is in season in your area. At the bottom of the post, I will list the websites where I got the information for what is in season in spring. These sites are mainly intended for the United States. I highly encourage you to check out the last resource because you can search more specifically in your own state and find out what to look for at the Farmers Market.
Apricots
Artichokes
Asparagus
Basil
Beets
Blueberries
Boysenberries
Broccoli
Carrots
Chard (and other greens: collard greens, mustard greens)
Cherries
Corn
Fava beans
Fennel
Grapefruit
Green beans
Green onions
Honeydew
Kiwis
Kohlrabi
Kumquats
Leeks
Lemons
Lettuces (arugula, spinach, butter lettuce, raddichio, red leaf lettuce)
Limes
Lychee
Mango
Mint
Mushrooms
Onions
Parsley
Peas (snap, snow, pods)
Pineapple
Potatoes
Radishes
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Sweet onions
Turnips
Ok, I know what you’re thinking. That is a lot of fruits and veggies, many of which I have never heard of or tasted in my life!
You wanna know something? There were even more, but I kept some off the list thinking that they would probably just scare you away! Haha.
Spring has quite a bit more produce available than winter, that’s for sure! When you look at this list, try not to get overwhelmed. What I would do, especially if you meal plan, is write down 2-3 foods that you can try each week. Create meals based around those foods. You could even just resolve to try 2-3 of these spring fruits and vegetables in a month. It’s totally up to you.
The best place to start if you have never tried a specific fruit or vegetable before is just googling it. Or look for it on Pinterest. For sure, you should be able to find a great recipe without much effort. Sometimes, you really don’t even need a recipe and you can just enjoy the produce as a snack. I would definitely suggest doing this with at least peas, pineapple, and strawberries!
What food on the list of spring produce have you never heard of before?
Resources:
Fresh Spring Fruits and Vegetables from About Food
What’s in Season? from A Guide to Seasonal Food in Britain
What’s in Season? Spring from Fruits & Veggies: More Matters
Seasonal Food Guide from Sustainable Table
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We discovered kumquats a few years ago. They are awesome, but it’s hard to get decent ones. Your list is making me crave some fresh veggies!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in my life! If I ever do, I’ll have to try it. Maybe when I’m vacationing in a place that grows kumquats, that’s when I’ll go for it!