5 Seasonal Vegetables To Look For at Your Farmer’s Market

The weather is finally starting to warm up here in Iowa, and we’re in the mood for spring produce. We obviously place an emphasis on pasturefed meat here (and it’s still our favorite) but that doesn’t mean produce isn’t a big part of our diet.

When it comes to produce, we like to rely on seasonal, local fruits and vegetables that are grown by the farmers in our community. We’re often asked what kinds of produce you should be looking for at the farmer’s market around this time of year. Here are five of the items you should be looking to add to your meals.

Asparagus

Asparagus is arguably the most famous springtime veggie. Eat asparagus at any other time of year, and frankly, it’s just not the same. Spring asparagus is firm, crispy, full of flavor, and either super thin or thick and juicy. We love both versions.

Asparagus is generally seasonal from May through September, but it’s at its peak during the springtime. Get yours while it’s fresh!

Radishes

Radishes are great for cutting up and serving in spring salads. They’ve got a hefty flavor to them, but that’s one of the reasons why we love them — they’re unique and completely characteristic of spring.

Radishes won’t be at their peak until late spring (they usually bloom full-force in May), but they’ll remain tasty all the way through the season, roughly until October.

Parsnips

Did you know that you can use parsnips as a stand-in for potatoes? They don’t taste the same, obviously, but parsnips have a delicious, earthy taste to them that can squash your french fry cravings. Cut them up into fry-like pieces, bake in oven, and drizzle them with salt and olive oil. Parsnip fries are one of our favorite accompaniments for a pasture-fed burger.

Like most of the other vegetables on this list, parsnips come seasonal during May, and can be grown throughout the summer months.

Rhubarb

Is there anything more delicious than a fresh rhubarb jam? Rhubarb starts to come in during the springtime, so that’s when it’s best to start preparing your canning jars and getting ready to make jams. Rhubarb jam isn’t an easy thing to make (and trust us, you need A LOT of sugar!), but once you’ve mastered it, you can make your jams during spring and keep them ready for year-round consumption.

Rhubarb is seasonal from April through June.

Beets

Finally, beets are one of those vegetables that become a must-have once you’ve warmed up to them. They are sometimes considered an acquired taste, but with their sweetness and earthiness, we have a hard time seeing why.

Fresh beets that are baked in the oven have a wildly different (and by different, we mean better) taste than canned beets, so head to your farmer’s market to pick up the real thing. You can usually get beets from May through early October.