Spring Foods: Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs in Season Right Now

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Radishes are in season during spring in many parts of the United States.

If you’re hoping to expand your notion of seasonal eating, this is the perfect time to start! Spring is the season for young and tender treats right from the garden. Snack on spring foods such as raw peas and radishes, add fresh spring fruits such as berries to cereal, and get ready for crisp salads every day. Spring is also the favorite season of food foragers.

Most of the foods in this article are likely to be in season during spring in many parts of the United States. You should be able to find the best deals on these foods this time of year in grocery stores and at farmers markets, which means it's a good time to stock up on items that preserve well. For example, you may want to dry fresh spring herbs and freeze seasonal berries for later use. (To learn more about when and how to preserve foods, see "Enjoy Fresh, Local Food All Year." To see which foods are in season in your area, click on your state at this Seasonal Ingredient Map.)

Herbs: chervil, chives, dill, horseradish root, mint, parsley, tarragon

Salad greens: arugula (rocket), baby lettuces, endive, mâche (corn salad), mizuna, pac choi, sorrel, spinach, watercress

Cooking greens: beet greens, chard, collards, kale, radish greens, spinach, turnip greens

Root veggies: beets, parsnips, radishes, salad turnips

Sea veggies: dulse, various kelps (such as kombu and wakame), nori (laver), wrack