Food.com's Cyber CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a place where you can get familiar with seasonal flavors and find inspired recipes. Think of this as your in-season shopping list, guiding you through your farm-fresh produce boxes and your grocery store finds. Seasonal cooking is demystified, one ingredient at a time.
Artichokes might require a little extra labor, but they are well worth the effort. Be sure to choose an artichoke that suits your needs (big ones for stuffing and little ones for frying).
Spring is the best time to enjoy fresh, tender peas. When they are plump, round and full of spring rain, they'll work double time in all your favorite meals.
Cooking with herbs can be a transcendental experience, and spring is the best time to take advantage of these flavor bombs. Be sure to enjoy cilantro, chives and mint, all of which flourish with receding winter frosts.
Beets are for more than borscht, as shown by this line-up. Just be sure you're selecting firm, blemish-free globes and not tossing the greens — you can work wonders with earthy beet greens.
Nothing is quite as nice as a fresh stalk of spring asparagus. Snappy and bright, these little trees should be eaten with abandon and doctored as little as possible to allow their classic flavor to shine.
Regular lettuce can feel a little drab after playing around with arugula (or rocket). Be sure to pick the dark-green bundles while avoiding the larger leaves, which tend to pack more of a peppery punch than the small, tender ones.
Spinach might live in your produce drawer year-round, but spring is the best time to get up close and personal with this leafy green.
Rhubarb's sour stalk is best when cooked, as the flavor can be fully realized with a little heat. Of course, this classic pie filling also makes for a serious sauce, so don't write off its savory preparations.
Milder, sweeter onions? What's not to love. Leeks are a refreshing way to bring flavor to all your favorite spring dishes — just add butter.
One of the first veggies to appear come spring, these little nuggets can be found in all sorts of flavors and colors. Just keep in mind their bite can range from mild to quite spicy, which is why they should be enjoyed with abundance in spring when their water content is high and their gentle flavor reigns supreme.
The ramps season may be fleeting, but these wild leeks are worth searching for. You can use both the stems and the leaves to achieve a wide variety of subtle onion flavors and overall spring magic.
Garlic is a kitchen staple, but getting your hands on fresh garlic is just one more reason to look forward to spring. Use fresh bulbs now like you would any other time of the year: with great abandon.
Ditch your normal can of black beans for a fresh spring option. Fava beans are young, bright and charismatic; their flavor lends itself well to salad, stews and much more.
It's time to call carrots what they are: a seasonal treasure. In the spring you can find a veritable rainbow of carrots that don't need a whole lot of extra love to transform into something dinnerworthy.
