Tender vegetables and meats are the gift of the spring season and, as the weather warms up -towards the end of spring the days are definitely much warmer than the previous season- the need for lighter fare awakens.

Spring

Spring is a season of abundance. It is easy to stay focused on fresh options. There is great selection of fresh meat. Vegetables are at their most tender during this season. Many juicy fruits ripen towards the end of the spring.

 

VEGETABLES

BEST QUALITY: asparagus; artichokes; broad beans; beets; broccoli; cabbage; carrots; cauliflower; chard; kale; leeks; lettuce; mustard and cress; new potatoes; peas; radish; salad greens; spinach; rhubarb; tomato; turnip; watercress.

AVAILABLE: avocado; eggplant; French beans; chicory; fennel; mushroom; okra; onions; salsify; zucchini.

 

FRUIT

BEST QUALITY: pineapple, gooseberries; strawberries, and raspberries.

AVAILABLE: apples; bananas; pears; coconuts; lemons; lime; mangoes; medlar; oranges; pawpaw.

 

MEAT

BEST QUALITY: lamb, choose light cuts; mutton.

AVAILABLE: veal and beef; pork.

 

POULTRY

Chicken and turkey are always available, try white meats such as chicken and turkey breasts; small birds such as Cornish hens, squab. Guinea fowl is still of best quality at the beginning of the season.

 

GAME

There are doves or pigeons; quail; some kinds of wild duck; rabbit.

 

FISH

BEST QUALITY: king salmon; northern halibut; sea bass; sole; sardines; brown trout, sea trout or salmon, whitebait.

AVAILABLE: mock halibut; pilchard; rainbow trout; sea bream; whiting.

 

SEAFOOD

BEST QUALITY: scallops; crab; mussels and clams; soft-shelled crabs.

AVAILABLE: clams; prawn; shrimp; whelks. At the beginning of the season, there are mussels and oysters.