23 Spring Fruits And Vegetables, Explained

After many short, cold days, there is nothing like the smell of magnolia flowers or the bright green of a new bud sprouting from a tree. It is springtime, finally, and the world can open its sleepy eyes and stretch back to life.

There are a plethora of fruits and veggies that are front and center during this peachy season, and to not seek out and enjoy some of this produce would be a wild shame. Spring is one of the most bountiful and happiest times of the year, and some of the best ways to celebrate the greenery and fragrance that suddenly surrounds us during the spring months is by eating spring produce. Whether it is something sour, sweet, or bitter, you are sure to find a spring item that becomes a new favorite. And who knows, maybe you will love it so much that each year you will look forward to the coming of spring and the return of your favorite food.

Garlic, with its flakey white skin and sharp, pungent smell, was not always this way. Before it aged, shriveled, and dried, your garlic was fresh and bright — in fact, it was green. Green garlic, which is simply immature or uncured garlic, has not gone through the curing process to dry and preserve it. Therefore, the skin, which you may only know as the thin, paper-like flakes that can be rubbed aside, is plump with water, and the cloves are fresh.

The flavor of green garlic is still very garlicky, but it is not as strong and can be described as more of a mix between garlic and green onions. Green garlic does not have the spiciness that cured garlic is known for, and this softer flavor makes green garlic great for purées and sauces.

Broccoli rabe has a similar flavor to broccoli but is comprised of more stem and less floret. To make it more clear, broccoli rabe, also known as rapini, is essentially small broccolis with small florets at the end of each stem.

Therefore, instead of having one large broccoli bulb that needs to be cut apart, broccoli rabe comes already pre-separated by nature, making it great for roasts, stir-fries, and even a broccoli rabe sandwich. The one trick to cooking with this springtime veggie is that the stems need to be peeled. Like broccoli, broccoli rabe stems are a bit tough and need a light peel to avoid a fibrous mouthful.

Whether you like adding it to your smoothies, adore spinach salad, or enjoy it most baked into spanakopita, spinach is a delightful spring green that will boost your immune system and your taste buds. The leaves can be incredibly delicate, so when buying from bulk containers make sure to handle it with care.

Some people may only be familiar with savoy or flat-leaf spinach. Savoy spinach is somewhat wrinkled and can have very large leaves the later it is harvested. On the other hand, flat-leaf spinach is, you guessed it, flat-leaved and makes great baby spinach salads. If you are interested, there are also a multitude of other varieties of spinach such as Malabar, caramel, and red kitten spinach.

Salads are what spring is for. Winter moseys along, and you wish that you had some nice crisp greens to munch on, and then all of a sudden, you have more greens than you could have dreamed for. Butter, oak leaf, romaine, iceberg, and many more types of lettuce are available for you to indulge in the spring as a way to celebrate the budding all around.

Whether as a side salad at the end, an appetizer at the beginning, or simply as a crunchy element on top of whatever you make, lettuce can be used in just about everything. Because the time for lettuce is almost upon us, it is important to know how to store your various kinds of lettuce so that it does not get slimy, moldy, or limp.

While you may be familiar with fava beans and all of their wonderful uses, did you know that you can eat even more parts of this plant? The leaves in particular are scrumptiously tender, and a great spring green option. When the greens are sautéed they develop a flavor that is similar to pea shoots which pair well as a side dish to almost any meal. 

You can also eat fava greens raw in a salad. Because the leaves are very soft and tender with a slight sweetness, adding them to a salad is a great way to enjoy their subtle flavor.

Another citrus that, depending on your location, can be considered a winter fruit, is lemon. If you are somewhere colder where the seasons truly change, then lemons will probably start popping up in the spring. Regardless of when you get your hands on these morsels of sunshine, lemons, with all of their zesty goodness, will inevitably brighten your day.

Yes, lemons are delicious with savory foods such as fish, rice, or in salad dressing. But the real course that takes the cake is dessert, which can range from lemon cake to lemon curd to lemon tart. For our money, lemon desserts are arguably some of the most scrumptious available. 

Cherries are the ultimate fruit. Incredibly sweet, bite-size, and so very entertaining to eat, these little springtime treats are deliciously delightful. If you are really lucky, maybe you live near some cherry orchards and can go and pick them yourself. Romping around an orchard and eating cherries fresh off of the tree is blissful.

You can find dark, ruby red cherries, or those that are pink and tart, yellow with blushes of pink, or some that are so tiny it feels like they are mostly pit. With so many varieties of cherries, it would be a shame to let them go to waste and not bake a pie, galette, or tart with these gems of spring.

Ramps are another foraged spring food that is only available for a couple of weeks, if not days, out of the year. This vibrant spring vegetable is bursting with flavor that can be described as peppery or pungent. Overall though, the flavor of ramps is more or less a good blend between onions, garlic, and green onions.

These foraged greens grow widely mostly along the east coast, from Canada to Georgia. While they can be difficult to find in the wild, they are incredibly satisfying to cook and eat once you do encounter some. The added appeal of eating something that you foraged yourself gives ramps an undeniable flair. 

Scapes are perhaps the best specialty that spring has to offer. While almost all alliums produce these curly cue flower buds, the most common scapes that you'll likely encounter are garlic scapes. But what are they? Scapes are the bud of the allium, whether it is a leek, garlic, onion, shallot, you name it. This bud shoots out from the center of the plant while it is still growing, and instead of letting the bud bloom, the scapes are harvested to let the plant finish maturing.

Scapes have a distinct flavor that depends on what type of scape it is. For example, garlic scapes taste like garlic, but in a more subtle way that allows them to be eaten as a dish rather than simply an aromatic or a garnish. The other wonderful thing about scapes is their texture. Sort of a hybrid between the texture of asparagus and a string bean, allium scapes are very satisfying to bite into and devour.

Rhubarb stems, which are the only parts of the plant that you want to be eating, spring from the crown of the rhubarb and branch out with large, leathery-looking leaves. On large rhubarb plants, these leaves can look like elephant ears, while on younger plants they are simply large and dark green,

Regardless of the size of your rhubarb plant, it is most likely mature enough to be harvested. If you do not have a plant of your own then you can also definitely find these sour and slightly fruity stems at your local market. They pair wonderfully with lots and lots of sugar, so go and enjoy a nice spring morning with some scones and rhubarb compote.

Nothing screams spring like these little green gems. Peas, which come in lovely pea pods, have a wonderfully fresh and green flavor that pairs well with other springtime vegetables, as well as in a sauce, stew, or stir fry. While peas are available year-round in their frozen or dried form, it is undeniable that they are best fresh off of the plant.

Depending on the variety of peas you enjoy — whether they are snap peas, snow peas, or shelling peas — you will be sure to enjoy the scrumptious sweetness of a fresh pea. When they are high quality, peas have a delightful crunch and juiciness that pairs so well with their naturally bright and refreshing flavor. This flavor is also what makes peas so great in sauces and in dishes like a pea risotto.