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The Best Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables for Spring

John Maher
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Ask a chef which season they look forward to the most and nine times out of ten they will scream the word ‘spring’ with joy and excitement. Coming from three months of root vegetables and hearty, slow-braised meats, springtime signals the return of bright and colorful fruits and vegetables.

Cooking and eating seasonally is the best way to ensure that your food is at peak flavor and freshness and it is also a great way to support your local community by buying directly from farms and farmer’s markets in your area. See something at the farmer’s market that you aren’t familiar with? Ask the farmer that grew it for a taste. Try doing that in your local Super Giant Food Emporium Grocery chain.

Fresh organic vegetables and herbs composition.

While it’s standard these days to be able to buy nearly anything at any time of the year, choosing the meat and produce that are at their best during the months of March, April, and May is always the best option. Not only will everything taste better, but it is also cheaper to buy in-season.

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Spring Fruits

strawberries. green grapes, kiwi,, cherries, and apricots served on a stick.

Rhubarb

Signaling the arrival of spring, these bright red stalks are perfect in many different desserts.

Meyer Lemons

Meyer lemons are prized for being sweeter and more delicate than the standard lemon. Try preserving the lemons in salt and sugar to use them all year long.

Kiwis

Packed with vitamins and antioxidants, eating kiwi fruit every day can help prevent the appearance of some cancers.

Honeydew Melons

The mainstay of the buffet fruit salad, honeydew makes for a refreshing and healthy snack.

Cherries

It’s a scientific fact that sweet varieties, such as Bing, make the best cherry pies.

Pineapple

An essential ingredient in some of the best tiki cocktails, pineapples are also delicious to eat.

Apricots

Apricots are great in both sweet and savory dishes, but when they are in season and impossibly sweet we recommend eating them raw by the handful.

Strawberries

We look forward to strawberry daiquiris every year and so should you. Perfect strawberries shaken with good white rum, lime juice, and simple syrup are heavenly on a hot day.

Spring Vegetables

carrots, broccoli, and spring onions, among other spring vegetables laid out in a wooden table,

Asparagus

One of spring’s first sprouts, asparagus is the cheapest and most flavorful in season.

Fiddlehead Ferns

With a flavor reminiscent of spinach and asparagus, fiddleheads are a wonderful addition to dinner during spring.

Fava Beans

Fava beans have a notoriously short spring season so act fast.

Carrots

Synonymous with the season, spring carrots are sweet like candy. Enjoy them raw or simply glazed in butter.

Greens

Spring is best for arugula, frisée, dandelion, and watercress. The abundance of fresh produce means it’s time to eat lots of delicious salads.

Green Garlic

Milder and sweeter than garlic cloves, green garlic adds a nice subtle punch of garlic flavor without being overpowering.

New Potatoes

Small with paper-thin skin, these little potatoes are best boiled in salted water, glazed in some butter, and topped with sea salt and fresh black pepper.

Morel Mushrooms

One of the more elusive wild mushrooms, these amazing nutty-tasting mushrooms are not cheap but they are definitely worth it.

Herbs

Chives, parsley, and dill come alive during springtime. Most dishes only get better with the addition of fresh herbs.

Peas

English peas and snap peas are two favorites to enjoy all spring. Throw them into salads, sauté with butter and herbs, or add them to pasta.

Radishes

Sweet and peppery radishes are at their best during springtime. Dip them in soft butter with a sprinkle of sea salt for a snack.

Ramps

This foraged allium (with another short season) is prized for its onion and garlic flavor.

Spring Meat and Fish

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best spring vegetables fruits salmon
Jakob Kapusnak/Stocksnap

Lamb

The most tender and flavorful lamb is said to come from those harvested in late spring.

Softshell Crabs

Pan-fried or deep-fried, blue crabs from the Chesapeake Bay that have molted their shells are a Mid-Atlantic staple during spring.

Salmon

Pacific salmon season starts around May 1.

Trout

Natural-caught trout are in season in the spring.

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