List Of Spring Foods

Categories: • Seasonal Food • Spring Season • Gardening • Edible Flowers

Spring means it's time to enjoy the flavors of newly harvested fruits and vegetables. That's why each season we reacquaint ourselves with which foods are spring season foods. Let our list be a guide for the freshest foods at the market, while their at their peak of flavor.

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Foods common in the Northern Hemisphere

• Artichoke • Asparagus • Bamboo shoot • Carrots

• Cauliflower • Celery • Kale • New potato • Onion

• Parsley • Radish • Rhubarb • Samphire or sea grass

• Spinach • Watercress • Clam • Cockles • Flying fish

• Kokanee • Sardines • Red sea bream • Salangidae

• Skipjack tuna • Grouse • Hare • Chicken

• Raspberry • Strawberry

Vegetables In Spring / In Alphabetical Order

Artichoke:

The peak season for artichoke harvesting is the spring, but

they continue to be harvested throughout the summer, with

another peak period in mid autumn. A favorite vegetable

dipped in hollandaise, vinegar, butter (butter recipes)

(butter sauce recipes), mayonnaise, aioli, lemon juice or

other sauces. *In Italy, artichoke hearts in oil are the usual

vegetable for spring in the 'Four Seasons' pizza (with olives

for summer, mushrooms for autumn & prosciutto for winter).

Asparagus:

A good source of vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium and zinc,

and a very good source of dietary fiber, protein, vitamin A,

vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, rutin,

niacin, folic acid, iron, phosphorus, potassium, copper,

manganese and selenium, as well as chromium, a trace

mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport

glucose from the bloodstream into cells.

Restaurants in the United States often serve asparagus

stir-fried with chicken, shrimp, or beef, and also wrapped in

bacon. A favorite quickly grilled over charcoal or hardwood

embers. It is also used as an ingredient in some stews &

soups. In the French style, it is often boiled or steamed &

served with hollandaise sauce, melted butter or olive oil,

Parmesan cheese or mayonnaise.

Bamboo shoot:

In certain parts of Japan, China and Taiwan the giant timber

bamboo Bambusa oldhamii is harvested in spring or early

summer. The bamboo has a very acrid flavor and should be

sliced thin & boiled in a large volume of water several times.

The sliced bamboo is edible after boiling. B. oldhamii is

more widely known as a non-invasive landscaping bamboo.

Carrots:

Carrots can be eaten in a variety of ways. Only 3% of

the β-carotene in raw carrots is released during

digestion: this can be improved to 39% by pulping,

cooking and adding cooking oil. Alternatively they may

be chopped and boiled, fried or steamed, and cooked in

soups and stews, as well as baby & pet foods. A well

known dish is carrots julienne. Grated carrots are used

in carrot cakes, as well as carrot puddings, an old English dish thought to have originated in the early 19th century. The greens are edible as a leaf vegetable, but are rarely eaten by humans. Together with onion and celery, carrots are one of the primary vegetables used in a mirepoix to make various broths.

Cauliflower:

Cauliflower is low in fat, high in dietary fiber, folate, water and vitamin C, possessing a high nutritional density. Cauliflower can be roasted, boiled, fried, steamed or eaten raw. Steaming or microwaving better preserves anticancer compounds than boiling. When cooking, the outer leaves and thick stalks are removed, leaving only the florets. The leaves are also edible, but are most often discarded. The florets should be broken into similar-sized pieces so they are cooked evenly. After eight minutes of steaming, or five minutes of boiling, the florets should be soft, but not mushy (depending on size). Stirring while cooking can break the florets into smaller, uneven pieces. Cauliflower is often served with a cheese sauce, as in the dish cauliflower cheese.

Celery:

Celery is used in weight-loss diets, where it provides low-calorie dietary fibre bulk. Celery seeds are also a great source of calcium, and are regarded as a good alternative to animal products. Celery, onions, and bell peppers are the holy trinity of Louisiana Creole and Cajun cuisine. Celery, onions, and carrots make up the French mirepoix, often used as a base for sauces and soups. Celery is a staple in many soups, such as chicken noodle soup.

Kale:

Kale is a very good source of iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin K and Carotenoids (which provide vitamin A). In Japan, kale juice (known as aojiru) is a popular dietary supplement. Tender kale greens can provide an intense addition to salads, particularly when combined with other such strongly flavoured ingredients as dry-roasted peanuts, tamari-roasted almonds, red pepper flakes, or an Asian-style dressing.

New potato:

Potatoes are prepared in many ways: skin-on or peeled, whole or cut up, with seasonings or without. The only requirement involves cooking to swell the starch granules. Most potato dishes are served hot, but some are first cooked, then served cold, notably potato salad and potato chips/crisps.

Common dishes are: mashed potatoes, which are first boiled (usually peeled), and then mashed with milk or yogurt and butter; whole baked potatoes; boiled or steamed potatoes; French-fried potatoes or chips; cut into cubes and roasted; scalloped, diced, or sliced and fried (home fries); grated into small thin strips and fried (hash browns); grated and formed into dumplings, Rösti or potato pancakes. Unlike many foods, potatoes can also be easily cooked in a microwave oven and still retain nearly all of their nutritional value, provided they are covered in ventilated plastic wrap to prevent moisture from escaping; this method produces a meal very similar to a steamed potato, while retaining the appearance of a conventionally baked potato. Potato chunks also commonly appear as a stew ingredient.

Onion

Parsley

Radish

Rhubarb

Samphire or sea grass

Spinach

Watercress

Fruit

• Raspberry

• Strawberry

Seafood in Spring

• Clam