Drop the Beet on Your Diet: In Season Spring Produce Focus (2024)

FAQs

What produce is in season during spring? ›

Figuring out what fruits and vegetables to eat and when can be a little confusing, especially as certain popular produce items—such as apples, carrots, potatoes, lemons, and bananas—are available year-round due to different growing regions, the use of greenhouses, modern storage, and imports.

In late February to early March, start cabbages, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, leeks, endive, escarole, fennel, lettuce, and artichokes indoors. In mid- to late March, direct sow peas, spinach, fava beans, and arugula outdoors. Start peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, Swiss chard, and tomatillos indoors.

Seasonal food is fresher, tastier and more nutritious as it hasn't travelled so far. Pesticides, waxes and preservatives are often used to preserve foods that are out of season as vegetables start losing their nutrients straight after they're picked. So the quicker they get to your plate the better.

Other than leafy lettuces, amaranth, arugula, basil, beet greens, bok choy, chicory, cilantro, kale, mache, mustard greens, parsley, sorrel, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnip greens are all continuous harvest vegetables.

A variety of California Grown commodities are grown – or available- all year round. Dried fruit, canned tomatoes and nuts might seem obvious, but did you realize that fresh strawberries and even artichokes are grown year-round in the Golden State?

A cool-season crop that grows best in spring and fall, beet roots mature in 60 days or so, and mature beets will usually hold in the garden for a couple of weeks. Beets grow best in rich, fertile soil with a near-neutral pH between 6.2 and 7.5. Beet seeds are spiky nutlets that enclose pairs of tiny lentil-like seeds.

What food is best in spring? ›

So, in spring our desire for more variety of fresh fruit and vegetables increases, meaning our bodies are getting more of the nutrients they need to stay healthy. As the nights get shorter and days get longer, strangely enough we tend to sleep better.

In Autumn the weather begins to cool down and we start craving warm, cosy foods. As it happens, autumn is also the season for potatoes, pumpkin and cole crops (Brussels sprouts, cabbage, collards, kale, Savoy), turnips, and chayote (in Southern Europe).

Carrots and parsnips will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Radishes, turnips, and beets will last about 2 weeks. Instead of the fridge, it's best to keep potatoes and sweet potatoes in the pantry or a cool, dark place. Potatoes that you store in the fridge may darken when you cook them and taste sweet.

Spring: March, April, and May. After the winter, where fresh fruit may not be in season, the spring is a welcome time for apricots, melons, and some berries. Classic combinations like strawberry rhubarb inspire fresh, vibrant dishes that liven up your meals after a long winter.

May means artichokes (technically flowers that have not yet bloomed!), asparagus, kale, spring peas, radishes, and spinach are all in season. So, this might be the perfect month for hearty salads like a kale Caesar or a crunchy asparagus, artichoke, and pea salad. Don't be afraid to get creative!