Fresh, in-season produce is a welcome treat after such a long winter! Fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, radishes, spring onions, baby greens, and asparagus are at their peak at this time of year. They’re also excellent additions to any salad! These springtime salad combinations feature the best fruits and vegetables available at this time of year.
Strawberries are at their peak in late spring, but the first of the year’s berries start hitting the markets in early April. This salad combines strawberries with spinach, cucumbers, and roasted almonds. If you don’t have almonds on hand you can also use roasted pecans or walnuts. Candied pecans are an especially nice treat in this recipe.
Asparagus is at its peak in early spring. This salad combines roasted asparagus with roasted cherry tomatoes. It’s finished with citrus vinaigrette that has been sweetened with honey, which ties all the flavors together.
Mixed Baby Greens Salad
The cooler temperatures of early spring provide the ideal growing environment for most lettuce varieties. When the greens are in their early stages in the growing process, they’re extremely tender. The addition of avocado and cranberries in this recipe makes it a little heartier.
The refreshing flavor of the cucumbers and julienned spring onions create a salad that is the perfect palate cleanser. If you can’t find Lebanese cucumbers, just use English cucumbers, which you can find in most supermarkets.
Artichokes are typically grown in warmer states like California. However, they’re in season in the early spring and make their way to markets all over the United States. When roasted, the artichokes develop a hearty, earthy flavor. When mixed with vinaigrette and roasted red peppers, it creates a salad that can also double as an appetizer. These artichokes are also good when served on a bed of baby greens.
In some colder climates, radishes are amongst the first of the year’s crops. For some varieties, they may be ready to harvest in as little as three weeks after planting. Early spring radishes are a little sweeter and less pungent and make the perfect compliment to arugula. However, feel free to substitute baby greens for the arugula. Not everyone likes arugula’s sharper flavor.
This spring potato salad combines potatoes with early garden vegetables such as radishes and scallions. Feel free to substitute spring onions for scallions if you don’t have any scallions growing in your garden. If you can find new potatoes in your grocery store, feel free to substitute those for the red potatoes listed in the recipe. New potatoes are an earlier crop than full-grown potatoes. Also, feel free to omit the carrots and substitute them for roasted asparagus, which also has an early spring harvest.