Late winter and early spring can be a hard, hungry time. Winter stores of food are dwindling and gardeners have not start to produce fresh food, yet. Before modern supermarkets, shipping food long distances and freezers, this time of year would have bought empty stomachs. The full Moon of February was called the, ‘Full Hungry Moon’ because of this.
For gardeners in cooler climates, this time of year signals the beginning of the planting season. Here in Philadelphia, sweet peas are planted around the time of the spring equinox, depending on the weather. In the Mid-Atlantic region, now is the time to plant cool weather crops before the weather heats up too much. Weather has changed here in the Philadelphia region. Spring warms up very quickly, now. Any broccoli or cauliflower I plant can quickly go to seed. So, we have to plant cool weather crops as early as possible.
The following foods are ‘in season’, this is the time they are growing and at the peak of production and harvest. Some foods are in peak season in other places and shipped here. An example would be the abundance of citrus fruits grown in our food markets this winter since are in peak season in warmer places like California and Florida.
This is the second of our seasonal food lists. The first was our winter seasonal food list. These lists give us information to fill out our seasonal rounds.
To learn more about eat seasonally, visit CUESA, to find seasonal chart and what is in season now.
More Information of Seasonal Foods
Seasonal Rounds: Charting Living in Harmony with the Land
Seasons: Earth’s Natural Rhythms Explained
Seasonal Foods for Spring
Vegetables
artichokes
artichokes, Jerusalem (American native plant)
asparagus
beans, fava
beets
carrots
cauliflower
cucumbers
fennel
fiddle head ferns (Ostrich fern – American native plant)
garlic, green
leeks
mushrooms – morel, chanterelle, shiitake
onions – spring, visalia
peas – English, sweet, spring, snow
potatoes – new
radishes
rhubarb
scallions
zucchini blossoms (American native plant)
Leafy Green Vegetables
arugula
dandelion greens
lettuces
mustard greens
nettles
ramps (American native plant)
shoots – garlic, pea
sorrel
spinach
sprouts – daikon
swiss chard
tomatillos
watercress
Fruit
avocados
blueberries (American native plant)
boysenberries
cherries
currants, red
lemons – Meyer
limes – key
loquats
mangoes
oranges – blood, navel
strawberries
Fish & Seafood
crayfish (American native food)
soft-shell crabs (American native food)
shad (American native food)
Meat
lamb
Herbs
borage
chervil
chives – garlic
cilantro
mint
green tea