The Best Spring Vegetables

Temperatures are finally rising, the snow is melting, and the ground is thawing - spring has sprung! That's cause for serious celebration in the kitchen, where it's time to reap the bounty of a new season of fresh vegetables that have weathered the long winter and are finally ready to emerge. Spring is the time when many year-round supermarket staples, like carrots and beets, are at their sweetest and most tender, and it's also the season to welcome fresh greens like lettuces and peas. And be sure to save room for some of the season's limited-time-only marquee offerings, like artichokes and asparagus, which both appear in farmers markets for a few brief weeks when the mercury climbs.

Click here to see The 10 Best Spring Vegetables

Most spring vegetables are simple and fast to prepare - the point is to let their natural flavors shine through. Often, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper are all you need to get the most out of a vegetable, though there's plenty of room to get creative with more complex dishes. Most vegetables are easy on the wallet, too - few of the most nutritious and delicious offerings cost more than $5 a pound, with farmers markets often boasting better prices and fresher produce than supermarkets. Prices for fresh vegetables vary significantly across the country, so the prices listed for the vegetables are estimations based on food studies, various supermarket prices, and farmers market prices.

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Fresh vegetables are also nutritional powerhouses that are low in calories but pack huge amounts of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Click through to learn about the tastiest, healthiest spring vegetables and what to do with them.

Potatoes
Smaller and smoother than their wintertime counterparts, new potatoes are a welcome sign of warmer temperatures. Their skin is high in vitamins A and C, and the low-starch tubers are best showcased when boiled and tossed into simple potato salad with fresh herbs, or roasted with garlic and olive oil. Find them for $2 to $3 a pound.

Peas
Snow, sugar snap, and garden peas all come into season in the spring - snow and sugar snap are entirely edible while still raw, while garden peas should be shelled and blanched. All of them should taste sweet and crispy-tender, and they're all high in vitamin K and fiber. Try snow and sugar snap in an Asian stir-fry, and mix garden peas with couscous and a bit of fresh mint for a refreshing light meal. Prices vary according to type, but usually hover around $3 to $5 per pound.

Radishes
Spicy and crunchy, radishes are at their most refreshing in the spring, and are available at some farmers markets in striking neon-colored and candy-striped versions. The inexpensive vegetable (about $2 to $4 a bunch) is packed with vitamin C and potassium, and tastes great served raw with a bit of butter of sea salt, or braised with balsamic vinegar and served alongside white meat.

Spinach
Get the dark leafy green in the spring, when its leaves are still small and tender. The nutritional powerhouse is packed with vitamins A and K, as well as iron and calcium, and usually sells for $4 to $5 per pound. Make a raw salad with fellow spring favorites like carrots and peas or bake a frittata filled with spinach, mushrooms, and fresh herbs.

Spring Onions
True to their name, spring onions are onions that are pulled before they've had the time to mature into the bulbous allium that's sold year-round. Resembling an oversized scallion, spring onions are sold for $4 to $5 a bunch, with their greens attached, and have a milder, sweeter flavor than their fully grown counterparts. Low in calories and high in vitamin A, spring onions do well grilled and eaten whole or caramelized and tossed with fresh pasta and herbs.


Click here to see 5 More of The Best Spring Vegetables

- Jamie Feldmar, The Daily Meal

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