Seasonal Foods: Spring
Leafy greens like chard, arugula, and stinging nettles should each be in the market by the time spring begins. Winter citrus such as grapefruits, pomelos, and oranges will still be abundant though winding down as the weather gets warmer. Asparagus will be over by the end of the season, with artichoke harvests dwindling – just a few coastal growers continue to have them leading into the summer.
Spring marks the first sign of summer produce – cherries and strawberries all begin as early as April, with a very brief apricot harvest following in May, and ending by June. Plums, apriums, and pluots all begin their harvest in May and June as well. Blueberries will make their way to the market by the very end of spring.
In June, hothouse and cherry tomatoes segue into their beefier summer counterparts, alongside beans, summer squash, lettuce, and basil harvests. The Allium family of onions, garlic, shallots, and leeks spring up at the beginning of the season, with garlic scapes and sweet Stockton red onions by late April. Dried onions are available year-round, but spring is the opportunity to get a hold of fresh ones right out of the ground.
New potatoes begin to crop up around this time as well - freshly dug from the field, these young taters have thinner skins than matured potatoes harvested later in the year.
Fresh pastured eggs should become more plentiful, since hens unexposed to artificial light will produce more eggs as the days lengthen. Milk production will also increase, and some of the artisan cheese producers will reenter the market as milk supplies become more abundant. Local fish such as sardines, sand dabs, halibut, calamari, and black cod begin to become available.
Lamb meat arrives beginning in April/May, and extends until January/February.
