March has arrived, and with it has also come spring, which this year seems earlier than usual: in fact, we have been enjoying warm temperatures since the first half of February. On the other hand, considering the crazy changes to which the weather has accustomed us in recent years… who knows if there will be more surprises!
Meanwhile, the earth feels that the time has come and is awakening, reborn. It adorns the narrow streets with its myriad colors, while the March breeze carries the scents of the blooms and the cries of the birds.
The succession of seasons is fulfilled, and here the market stalls change and dress up. In the past long months to keep us company were the typically winter varieties of vegetables. Now it’s time to welcome back fruits and vegetables we haven’t seen in a long time.
There is no obligation, let’s be clear: we can decide to buy cherry tomatoes even in January. But by the end of this article you can start paying more attention to seasonality, if you feel up to it. In several cases it will mean enjoying more taste and flavor, as well as having the pleasure of following the rhythms of the earth.
Indeed, following the seasons has something beautiful about it. It is rooted in nature, to listen to it and follow its pace. It allows us to understand her times and feel closer to her.
Typical spring foods (fruits, vegetables but not only!)
How many foods have their own seasonality? Several! Very often, when we talk about seasonality of foods, we hear about fruits and vegetables, but the truth is that there are other foods that follow their own rhythm at arm’s length with the earth.
Fish and seafood
Paying attention to sea times is important and in some cases is finely regulated by law. Indeed, fishing at the right time and with the right methods serves to protect fish species from the risk of extinction.
The herbs
I imagine that many of you do not grow aromatics in pots, since they are conveniently found in the supermarket. But even they have their own rhythms.
What about legumes?
Legumes deserve a little separate discussion. Special commendation goes to their being so easy to store for a long time. Dried or in jars, we have them available all year round. But there is one time of year when we find them fresh-and that is spring!
Spring is the time of their debut: lentils, beans, peas, and broad beans are ready to be picked and cooked or … processed and preserved, in fact. May also brings lupins, which must be specially processed before being eaten because they contain alkaloids, poisonous substances.
There is a childhood memory that I tie to peas, and I am sure it will make some of you smile, too. It was one of those lazy afternoons after doing homework and I was in the kitchen, legs dangling over the chair. There was me, a bucket, Mom, and fresh pea pods to shell. The TV in the background muttering, the curtains drawn, and a few rays of sunshine filtering through.
How annoyed I was then, performing that repetitive gesture.
How happy I felt instead, a few years ago, when I started doing it on my own initiative.
Fruit
Spring fruits include citrus fruits, which are mostly winter but stay with us until April.
Wait a minute–who is that?
The lemon!
But where does it come from?
Lemons have a different seasonality from other citrus fruits. Spring is precisely one of their ripening and harvesting periods. It is the friend who always comes late in this case, that is.
Let us now see what other fruits we find in these months: the kiwi, apples and bs.
But when does the typical spring fruit arrive?
Strawberries toward the end of March are at their best, and we will then find them throughout the season. In southern Italian regions we find them even earlier, thanks to mild temperatures and warm sunshine. But this applies to all fruits and vegetables to some extent!
The month of May then sees the return of some berries, such as blackberries and raspberries. Their compote is wonderful with aged or blue cheeses! Medlars and apricots are also harvested in this month, and in late May here come finally the cherries and sour cherries.
The vegetable
The first moments of spring remain linked to vegetables and greens that have accompanied us even in winter. The large cruciferous family for example, which includes the likes of broccoli, cauliflower, turnip greens, savoy cabbage and arugula. They will greet us in April, and we will meet them again from next late fall.
There are also all the leafy vegetables such as different varieties of salad greens, escarole, chard, and Swiss chard. But also Belgianendive and thistles.
Another product we find year-round isgarlic because it is easily stored. However, in spring we can also find it fresh.
New this season are asparagus, delicious in risottos with Parmesan cheese or pan-fried with eggs and pecorino cheese flakes. In ancient times they were considered a symbol of fertility and virility because of … their phallic shape!
And then beets, turnips, rhubarb and artichokes. Did you know that artichokes–are a flower with particularly leathery petals? And they are also interesting because they contain cynarin, a polyphenol with antioxidant and diuretic action that gives this vegetable its typical bitter flavor.
Spinach is also back in season ! Good in all kinds of ways, when we find the small, tender leaves I would recommend them in salads with a soft, fresh cheese and a honey-mustard dressing-they are delicious!
Last but not least are the products of the earth that are not in season because somehow we can harvest them all year round: carrots, onions, and potatoes.
To be precise, towards the end of spring we can also find … new potatoes! They are not a particular variety, but simply potatoes that have not yet developed to their full size.
An important reflection
Although news often pops up about some amazing new superfood with mind-blowing properties, modern nutrition agrees that no food should be considered miraculous in the same way as a drug. A diet based on a variety of fruits and vegetables is and remains the best way to prevent cardiovascular disease and keep us healthy.
Don’t fall for it, do it for yourself: we don’t need special foods or improbable supplements to be well. All we need to do is to eat in a healthy and balanced way by varying as much as possible and, of course, exercising.
That’s all for today, but we’ll meet back here in June for our summer seasonality appointment!
