If April showers bring May flowers, then May flowers bring fresh produce. This is the first month when crops really begin to come in and produce our favorite fruits and vegetables — and flowers!
It’s a big season for greens. Lettuce, beet greens, turnip greens, pea shoots, mesclun, collard greens, chard, sorel, spinach, and watercress are all available now. Available vegetables include summer squash, peas, asparagus, radishes, rhubarb, mushrooms, and various fresh herbs such as scallions, chives, green onions, mint, and nettles. So much bounty comes to us.
Purslane comes into season in May. It is a leafy green packed with omega-3 fatty acids and has a distinct, yet light, lemony flavor. Perfect for a summer salad, especially when paired with any of the fresh leafy greens available now. Try purslane pickled as a fun condiment. Sliced radishes, pickled or fresh, also make a great addition to summer salads.
Mint leaves are easily available, and make a great addition to a nettle iced tea. Both nettles and mint are packed with nutrients, which some say can help with allergy season.
Parsnips are at the end of their harvest season. Grab a few before they’re gone and roast them to bring out parsnips’ natural sweetness. Roasted parsnips pair well with roasted pork or chicken, or on their own as a side. Parsnips can also be mashed, pureed, added to soups and stews, or even used in a parsnip gratin.
By the end of May, strawberries should begin showing up at greenmarkets. Their growing season can begin anytime in May, but with the late cold snap that the Northeast had this year, many crops were pushed a few weeks.
Most exciting of all, for those who are aesthetically-minded, fresh-cut flowers are going to be in season from now until the end of the summer. Brighten up someone’s day with a hand-picked bouquet from Tucker Farms, which will be at the McCarren Park Greenmarket.
As always, meat, dairy, fish, honey, and bread are available year-round at greenmarkets. Bread Alone, a fantastic bread company, will be available at the Cortelyou Greenmarket on Sundays.
To check the weekly list of vendors at your local greenmarket, or to find a greenmarket near you in Brooklyn, go to GrowNYC.com or JustFood.com.
Any one know how to find out where the green markets are?