Spring has sprung in the northeast (sort of), which means that despite the brisk air, there will soon once again be greens, vegetables, and fruit. And fresh greens and veggies means that you can move on for the next eight months from pastas and breads and onto salads, frittatas, and other lighter dishes.
Not only will eating seasonally make you feel better, but shopping by the season is lighter on your wallet and carbon footprint. When you’re buying food thats from fifty miles away rather than thousands, you’re not only reducing fuel emissions but also buying food thats in abundance because it’s the peak of the season, therefore it’s cheaper. So here are nine foods to get in your fridge this spring, and recipes to help you out.
1. Herbs
Photo by Dorianne Ma
Add herbs to your eggs, your bread and butter, your sauté, or even your popcorn. This cheesy pull-apart bread is loaded with green onions, a spring staple, but spice it up even more by adding thyme and rosemary.
2. Mushrooms
Photo by Elena Besser
Mushrooms are super easy and quick to sauté in a pan and then add to anything. Throw them into a grilled cheese panini, an omelette, or even on top of a flatbread for a classy vibe.
3. Parsnips
Photo by Becky Hughes
Parsnips are super tasty roasted as a side to a dish, grated and made into a potato (parsnip) pancake, or even turned into a healthy snack via these parsnip fries.
4. Bok Choy
Photo by Alyssa Brewer
Bok Choy is a green that is usually stir fried in garlic and lemon and can be topped with different sauces. But it’s also commonly found in ramen, and its full of nutrients and has a mild taste that is a nice change from spinach and arugula. Next time you make instant ramen, maybe throw in bok choy and some tofu and mushrooms for a fuller meal.
5. Mustard Greens
Photo Courtesy of Food52
Mustard greens are a bitter green that have a taste sharper than even arugula. While they would be too harsh in a salad on their own, in this braised mustard green frittata the egg balances out the sharpness of the green.
6. Peas
Photo by Allison Mark
A sweet sign of spring, peas are underrated due to their confinement to pea soup. You can easily add peas into a salad for a bright touch, or at your next get-together try this classy pea and avocado crostini.
7. Cucumber
Photo Courtesy of Bon Appetit
Cucumber can feel overdone when it’s in your salad at lunch every day. Try switching up your fish or noodle dish at dinner by adding a side of these Japanese-style pickled cucumbers.
8. Radish
Photo courtesy of Food52
One of my favorite recipes in the spring and summer is halved radishes with oil and salt and pepper and roasted in the oven. But they’re great raw too in sandwiches, tacos, or in this radish salad with curry-orange dressing.
9. Tomato
Photo by Kelda Baljon
Tomato is just beginning to come into season in the spring, so take advantage of the freshness by making a meal out of it with this spinach and quinoa stuffed tomato.