Fresh Spring Recipes from the Garden

As leaves return to trees and green starts to dot the landscape, we know that the earth is suddenly alive again. If you were diligent about starting seeds in winter and planting early, you are now giddy with delight as you prepare to reap the rewards of your effort in the form of fresh spinach, peas, green onions, dill and new potatoes. Asparagus, rhubarb and strawberries are also emerging from their beds — a sight that makes gardeners’ mouths water. Farmers’ markets are open again, and all kinds of tasty spring morsels, such as morels, can be acquired for your culinary pleasure.

You may not think so, but spring is a celebration of vegetables, similar to summer. Spring vegetables, however, differ from summer vegetables in that they’re quick growing, tender, and young when harvested. Without the heat infernos of summer to suffer through, spring veggies are made sweet with the chill of crisp spring mornings and evenings, and they’re abundant in vitamins and nutrients.

Not only are the gardens alive again in spring, but so are the laying hens. Their winter holiday has ended, and they’re back at work. As the days get longer, the egg count goes up and suddenly you’re looking for recipes that call for lots of eggs. A frittata, packed with fresh eggs and spring vegetables, is a simple solution.

Enjoy the season of verdancy, both in the landscape and on your table.

Read more: Plan and enjoy a full Spring Farmhouse Dinner Menu.

Morels

If you are lucky enough to live in an area that sees an annual harvest of fresh morels, you are lucky indeed. Morchella (true morels) is a genus of edible mushroom with a distinctive honeycomblike cap. Mild and nutty in flavor, morels cook up wonderfully in quiche and pasta with cream sauce, on pizza, in eggs, or deep-fried.

In North America, morels are often found in spring under deciduous trees like ash, sycamore, dead and dying elms, and cottonwoods. Morels sell at farmers’ markets for upwards of $30 per pound due to their scarcity and short window of harvest in spring. Morel hunting requires an extremely keen eye, as they camouflage themselves well in leaves and understory. Don’t bother asking friends or neighbors where you might find them — avid foragers guard that secret with their lives.

Karen Keb is the editor of Heirloom Gardener magazine. She blogs at My Home Farm and Common Fare on Mother Earth News.