Best Fruits and Vegetables in Spring
Spring is one of the best times of the year. The weather starts to change, leaves and flowers start to bloom, and most importantly, we get to enjoy some delicious in-season stuff. This article will list all the best fruits and vegetables in Spring.
While it’s still somewhat wintery in some parts of the country, the produce aisles in stores are filled with Spring produce already. So why not make the best of it and include it in your shopping list on your next trip to the grocery store.
Why Eat In-Season Fruits and Vegetables?
It’s always a good idea to buy in-season fruits and vegetables. The biggest benefit is that they are super fresh, as they’ve just been harvested. With little time in transit, you get to enjoy these straight off the farms.
Secondly, the prices are typically low for in-season produce as they are in abundance. If you buy the same stuff off-season, you’ll have to shell out extra money. And chances are it has some sort of treatment or preservatives.
That also makes them good for the environment, simply because the transit time is less and they use fewer pesticides.
You also get to support local farmers who have to spend a lot of effort in making these crops available timely.
Moreover, in-season fruits and vegetables taste delicious, so you can experiment and try new recipes.
14 Best Fruits and Vegetables in Spring
You’ll find some of the fruits and vegetables in this list that are actually available year round. However, they are best in the Springtime. So if you can get your hands on them in the Spring season, you’ll know the difference as soon as you eat them.
On the other hand, some are just exclusively available in these few months, beginning in March. All the more reason to enjoy them!
Vegetables
Artichokes
Bigger thistles are available only in the Spring season, as the main harvest of artichokes comes in spring. As it’s more of a medicinal plant, you can imagine how beneficial it can be for your health.
If we’re talking about nutrients, these thistles are loaded with some of the most important nutrients. While low in fat, they pack in a lot of fiber, vitamin C, K, and folate. Artichokes are also rich in antioxidants.
This vegetable, which is actually a thistle, is good for lowering bad cholesterol. A study about artichoke leaf extract showed a lowering in blood cholesterol levels in participants.
Recipe Idea: Mediterranean Roasted Artichoke
Asparagus
Asparagus tastes the best in Spring and Summer seasons as its harvest time ranges from March till late June. It’s also a little pricier, so you can buy loads in Spring when it’s fully in season.
You can simply roast them and use them as a side dish with your entrees. You can even eat them as a healthy snack.
Asparagus takes effort to grow, as it can take three to four years until those spears are edible. Also, it’s one of those low-calorie foods with lots of nutrients, vitamin A, K, folate, and fiber, in particular.
This green vegetable has shown to lower blood pressure in animal studies. This makes sense because it contains potassium, which eliminates excess salt in your body.
Recipe Idea: Herb-Crusted Asparagus
Beets
Nothing beats beets when it comes to wholesome vegetables with myriads of benefits. Yes, it’s available all year long, but you’ll notice they are fresher in Spring.
How to tell if your beets are fresh? If they are, they would have their leaves still attached.
Beets are great for those with hypertension or heart disease. A randomized control study showed that intake of beets or even their juice helped lower blood pressure by as much as 10 mm Hg in just a couple of hours.
Another significant benefit of beets is that they can enhance physical performance. If you’re trying to outdo yourself at the gym, make sure to include beets in your meals.
Recipe Idea: Colorful Beet Salad
Romaine Lettuce
If losing weight is your Spring goal, then Romaine lettuce is your best friend. One cup of it contains about 8 calories, and it full of lots of amazing nutrients.
Another great thing about this salad ingredient is that it has beta carotene, which turns to vitamin A when processed by your body. Other important minerals in this lettuce include calcium, phosphorous, potassium, and magnesium.
What makes it great in this season is that it’s absolutely fresh. When you buy it, make sure to use it in a couple of days to make the best of its freshness. While it’s mostly used in salads, you can also roast it and serve it with other roasted veggies on the side of your entree.
Recipe Idea: Crunchy Romaine Salad With Quinoa
Green Peas
Once you eat fresh peas that you take out of the pods or even in the pod, you’ll know the difference. Canned peas can provide you with similar nutrition, but they don’t taste the same way as fresh peas do. Fresh peas have a bit of crunch in them.
These are in season in Spring and stay in season till the end of Summer. So this is one ingredient you can work with in two seasons.
According to WebMD, peas contain the right assortment of nutrients that help improve your immune system.
Recipe Idea: Yuca Mash with Corn and Peas
Spinach
You can’t appreciate the freshness of produce until you have some fresh greens. Leafy greens like spinach tend to lose their freshness the fastest. So when in season, you can benefit from their fresh off-the-field goodness.
Whether it’s in-season in Spring depends on where you live. Spinach has different harvest times depending on the climate. In warmer regions, the best crops are harvested in Fall through to Spring season.
As for its benefits, there’s hardly any convincing needed. It’s heart-healthy, fiber-rich, and a good source of calcium. If you’re worried about not getting enough calcium when going plant-based, make sure to get more leafy greens like spinach.
Recipe Idea: Miso-Glazed Butternut Squash with Spinach
Baby Carrots
Spring is the best time of the year to get your hands on real, organic baby carrots. You know those actual small carrots you often see served in fancy restaurants.
Commonly, the baby carrots available in the market are those processed ones produced from bigger carrots. However, in Spring you’ll find fresh baby carrots that farmers usually take out of the fields to thin the rows and allow other carrots to grow bigger.
Just make your way to the nearest farmers’ market, and you’ll likely find those thin, small carrots with leaves still attached. There are some pretty cool things you can try out with them.
Recipe Idea: Balsamic Roasted Baby Carrots
Dandelion Greens
Dandelion greens, as the name tells, come from the Dandelion plant. It’s actually a weed that’s treated as a herb. It’s most popular in the Mediterranean region.
From Spring through mid-Summer, you can find Dandelion greens in the US, too. These can be beneficial for improving your digestive health. Similarly, they also contain a good amount of antioxidants which help prevent cell damage by free radicals.
Their benefits withstanding, it can be hard to incorporate these into cooking because of their bitter flavor. However, that attribute also makes them good for balancing sweet or sour flavors in some dishes.
Recipe Idea: Dandelion Greens with Garlic
Fruits
Lemons
The juiciest lemons hit the market during Winter and are there during Spring as well. Lemon’s benefits are hardly a secret, as it’s common in teas and in skincare products. So when you see those big lemons in the market, you know it’s time to make lemonade.
Did you know that lemon can help prevent kidney stones? It’s the citric acid that makes that possible, as this 2008 study from the Journal of Endourology shows.
Similarly, they are good for those too who have had kidney stones in the past.
Moreover, we’re all no strangers to the weight loss benefits of lemons. So just enjoy it with tea or water.
Recipe Idea: 20 Best Lemon Cocktails
Mango
Mango is sometimes considered the King of fruits, and when you examine the benefits, you can’t help but agree.
From boosting immunity to lowering triglycerides, mango is jampacked with health benefits that go a long way. Unfortunately, it’s not available all year long, so spring and summer are the time to consume as many mangoes as you healthily can.
If you constantly have digestive issues, mangoes can do wonders for you. They are a rich source of fiber. Similarly, they also contain amylases, an enzyme that breaks down complex carbs.
Now, you can enjoy mangoes the good old way on their own. You can also use it in salads and desserts. It’s such a versatile fruit that it can even find its way into savory dishes.
Recipe Idea: Mango and Black Bean Tacos
Cherries
Cherry is also a seasonal fruit. You can find different varieties depending on where you are from March through August. Of all the types, sour cherries typically have the shortest season, so you’ll have to be on the lookout and ask your local store when they will be in.
Cherries have excellent anti-inflammatory properties. As this Molecules article tells, cherries have polyphenols that not only fight inflammation but also prevent cell damage.
Their nutrient profile makes them heart-healthy as well, reducing the risk of heart disease.
Recipe Idea: Cherry Bars
Peaches
Peaches are the juiciest in Spring. You won’t get a bad peach when buying fresh. However, it’s likely the peaches are imported where you live. Nevertheless, their deliciousness and health benefits make them worth every bite.
Peaches, with their fiber, can aid in alleviating the symptoms of certain digestive diseases.
Another big benefit of eating these citrus fruits is that they may help prevent cancer. The carotenoids in peaches have anti-cancer properties.
There’s just so much you can do with peaches besides eating them whole. From peach ice cream to peach confit, there are loads of easy yet restaurant-quality recipes you can try with these fruits.
Recipe Idea: Grilled Peach and Blueberry Pasta Salad
Kiwi
Did you know kiwi can help with Asthma? An old BMJ article shows the vitamin C in Kiwi helps with reducing wheezing in asthmatic children. Over 25 million people in the US have Asthma.
You’ll see kiwis in the market as soon as Winter as their harvesting starts in Winter and continues throughout Spring.
Much like other fruits, Kiwi is also rich in antioxidants and fiber. Fresh kiwi can go great in your daily fruit bowl or charcuterie with different cheeses and crackers.
Kiwis are incredibly rich in vitamin C, which makes them good for your skin too. You’ll easily get your daily vitamin C requirement with just half a cup (84 mg).
Recipe Idea: Kiwi Banana Ice Cream
Grapefruit
Another citrus fruit to look out for after Fall is grapefruit. This fruit is simply too delicious, combining just the right amount of sweetness and bitterness. For those who love juicing, grapefruit is mana from heaven.
You get all the typical citrus fruit benefits, such as digestion aid, good skin, and antioxidants. However, it can also help with weight loss. With a low caloric density, this large fruit doesn’t give you empty calories.
Similar to lemons, it can reduce the risk of kidney stones and help those who have them.
Recipe Idea: Vegan Grapefruit Loaf
Wrap Up
The best fruits and vegetables in spring can provide you with the opportunity to try out different recipes that you probably can’t other times of the year. Springtime is great for hosting friends and family, so make sure to use these in-season ingredients in your dishes.
Berries, peaches, kiwi, and mango all can be frozen too. If you get any of them only in Spring, you may want to stash some in your freezer.
