Winter’s final flurries may still have you bundled up, but March brings a welcome turn as spring’s first produce tendrils start to appear in stores. Look for these and other in-season veggies now.
Asparagus
Early-season asparagus features bright green stalks with purple-tinted tips. Buy bunches with firm stalks and tightly closed tops. Refrigerate the bunch standing up in a cup of water. Eat up: Drizzle stalks with olive oil, dust with sea salt and black pepper and roast at 400 degrees until tender. Or stir 2-inch pieces of asparagus into risotto in the last five minutes of cooking.
Leeks
This long, cylindrical cousin to onions features light- to deep-green leaves and a yellow-white interior. Leeks grow half-buried in the ground, so slice off roots, slit the leeks from top to bottom and rinse out dirt layer by layer. Eat up: Thinly slice white and pale green parts only; sauté in butter, and stuff into salmon fillets before roasting.
Endive
Gardeners plant this bright, light green leafy vegetable in the cool days of early spring for peak harvest in spring and fall. Eat up: Belgian endive’s spear-shaped, thick leaves hold up well when loaded with dips, tapenades and guacamole. Cut out the core, wash leaves in cold water, pat dry and serve as a low-carb alternative to crackers or bread.
Spring onions
Planted in the fall and harvested in spring, these pale green shoots add delicate oniony flavor to dishes like scrambled eggs, soft cheeses and soups. Use both the white bulb and the green stem. Eat up: For a rustic take, brush spring onions with olive oil and grill until tender and slightly burnt; serve over polenta.
