In the vein of this post:
Top Vegetables and Fruits
http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1517717
I wanted to ask what vegetables or fruits you all eat for each season/region. I am a huge advocate of purchasing local produce/products whenever possible. I believe that by eating more of the foods grown and processed locally, people can help support your local economy, support local farmers, and promote a sustainable, local food system, while enjoying the best quality and freshness available to them in their region.
Here are some of my favorite vegetables that fit into the seasons here in the Northeast United States:
[center]Spring:
asparagus
fiddleheads
garlic greens
greens
arugula
baby bok choy
cress
dandelion
kale
mizuna
mustard greens
sorrel
tat soi
lettuce
mushrooms
peas - snap and snow
radishes
rhubarb
spinach
sprouts
Summer
broccoli
baby carrots
cauliflower
celery
cucumbers
eggplant
endive
fennel
garlic
green beans
lettuce
mushrooms
onions - red and yellow
peppers - hot and sweet
baby potatoes - new
radicchio
scallions
sprouts
summer squash
sweet corn
tomatoes
Fall
beets
Brussels sprouts
cabbage
carrots
cauliflower
celeriac
fennel
garlic
globe artichokes
beets
bok choy
chard
collard
kale
turnips
leeks
onions - red and yellow
parsnips
potatoes
pumpkins
rutabaga
shallots
sweet potatoes
late squash
Winter-most veggies here have to last through the winter from the fall, so hardy vegetables that have a long shelf life are best. Some is grown indoors also.
beets
cabbages
carrots
garlic
Jerusalem artichoke
kale
kohlrabi
mushrooms (grown indoors)
onions - red and yellow
parsnips
potatoes
rutabagas
shallots
sprouts (grown indoors)
sweet potatoes
turnips
winter squash [/center]
In the spring I tend to eat more fresh uncooked vegetables. Salads and fresh very quickly blanched green vegetables.
Summer, I tend to make lots of fresh vegetable salads also but add in lots of grilled vegetables as well. When the spring asparagus starts to get thick and woody I will marinate it peel it and grill it to keep eating it through the summer. I also start to make lots of tomato and other vegetable soups and freeze them for the fall and winter when I don’t have access to these vegetables.
Fall, this is when the lions share of vegetables get harvested here in the Northeast. I have so much produce from my garden and available at the markets that I can barely keep up with the abundance of colors and flavors. I tend to do quite a bit of cooking and putting into the freezer. I also start pickling quite a bit also. Stews and soups are the order of the season.
Winter, the winter vegetables usually take a bit more cooking so I tend to make quite a bit of soups, stews and braises at this time of year and count down the days until the spring vegetables will start coloring my garden again.
I am curious to know what vegetables you all like in your own regions for each season and how your cooking methods change with the change of the seasons.
Thanks,
~Cheffie