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Best Recipes for Spring: Seasonal Produce Bursting with Flavor

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Farmers markets are popping up; produce stands are stocking up – it’s finally spring! Follow this spring produce guide to discover what’s in season, plus tons of healthy spring recipes that are packed with fresh fruit and veggies:

First… 5 Reasons to Eat in Season

  1. Taste. Fresh, seasonal produce simply tastes better! (That’s because off-season produce is often picked early to adjust for long shipping times.) Your spring produce recipes will shine with brighter colors, stronger flavors, crisper vegetables, and juicier fruits when you use in-season produce.
  2. Nutrition. Fruits and vegetables that are grown in the right season and climate are actually better for your body. With the right growing conditions, produce can stay on the plant even longer and become denser with more vitamins, nutrients, and minerals.
  3. Price. Are you paying extra for out-of-season shipping? You can help lower your grocery bill and enjoy higher quality produce by purchasing spring vegetables during peak season. When more producers can harvest and sell at the same time, shoppers benefit from lower, more competitive pricing!
  4. Availability. There’s nothing worse than selecting recipes, making a grocery list, and going to the store, only to realize that the ingredients you wanted are out of stock. Instead, choose spring recipe ideas that utilize seasonal produce, so you can avoid shopping surprises.
  5. Sustainability. Buying spring seasonal produce is better for the environment, too. You can help support sustainable farming and protect soil quality by harvesting fresh ingredients at the right time of year.

Spring Seasonal Veg & Fruit Across the USA

Get inspired and explore the best healthy recipes for spring! While seasonal fruit is just beginning, there’s an abundance of crispy, crunchy vegetables ready to elevate your dishes. Click on each ingredient for an easy recipe idea:

Asparagus | Artichokes | Peas | Carrots | Radishes

Leafy greens: spinach, arugula, collard greens

Onions | Leeks (sub in place of shallots!) | Rhubarb (sub in place of pineapple!)

By Region: Fresh Produce & Foraging

The United States has so much agricultural diversity across all 50 states, and every region has its own list of stand-out specialties. Find this spring seasonal produce at your local farmer’s market, or even by foraging in your own backyard!

  1. Northeast. Ramps, ramps, and more ramps! These wild leeks have a garlicky, oniony aroma with flavorful leaves and a long white bulb. You’re also likely to find and forage fiddlehead ferns in the same area. Did you know they’re some of the first greens to grow after winter?
  2. South. Snap peas and onions are spring treasures in the South. Add even more flavor to your spring salad recipe by foraging for tender chickweed shoots. Lucky for you, blueberry season starts in April down in the South, so you’ll get to enjoy fresh berries earlier than most! 
  3. Midwest. Spring onions and morel mushrooms will be the centerpiece of your healthy spring dinners. If you want to add a fresh bite of peppery flavor, try foraging for watercress. On your next hike, just search the shoreline of a cool, slow moving stream and snip leaves above the water’s surface.
  4. West Coast. Strawberry season is long and glorious, but patience pays off – they really start plumping up with full flavor at the end of spring. Artichokes are also a West Coast stand-out, and spring is the perfect time of year to forage for spring white truffles in moist, warm forests across Oregon. 
  5. Southwest. Have you tasted the rich, floral flavor of young garlic? It’s exactly what the name sounds like: young, green garlic that is harvested early in the growing season before the garlic bulb fully develops. Combine it with fresh spring chiles and tender, bitter dandelion leaves.

Healthy Rice Cooker Recipes

You’ve put in the hard work to select (or pick!) fresh spring produce; now let your rice cooker take it from here. Get a healthy spring dinner on the table even faster with set-it-and-forget-it convenience.

These are some of Aroma’s favorite spring vegetable recipes:

 

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