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Spring Recipes: Asparagus, Peas, Fiddleheads, Greens, and More! | The Old Farmer's Almanac

Spring Recipes: Make the Most of the Food in Season!

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asparagus, the best recipes for seasonal produce

Our Favorite Recipes Using Fresh Spring Produce

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Celebrate spring! Look for these seasonal ingredients showing up in your local market or garden—asparagus, peas, rhubarb, and even fiddleheads and dandelion blossoms. Make these recipes to greet spring in a delightful and delicious way.

The first day of spring arrives with the vernal equinox! Finally, green things are growing, and there is truly fresh produce to enjoy. Below are recipes based on harvest dates of crops across North America.

Why eat fresh? Eating food at its peak means: better flavor, more nutrition, lower costs, safer food, and a better Earth!  Put spring produce on your grocery list!

Asparagus Recipes

Asparagus IS spring for many of us. To keep that bright green color, don’t overcook asparagus; pull the stalks out of the cooking water straight into an ice bath. See how to grow asparagus.

Asparagus Tart

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Credit: Sam Jones/Quinn Brein

Spring Risotto With Scallops and Asparagus

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Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Asparagus Soup

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Asparagus Frittata

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Credit: zi3000/Shutterstock

Asparagus Hummus With Pita Chips

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Credit: Nataliya Arzamasova Shutterstock

Asparagus Vinaigrette Salad

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Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Fiddlehead Recipes

Fiddleheads are the first wild edible of spring but only last a few weeks. They are the furled fronds of the young ostrich fern, harvested for use as a vegetable. They make great pickles and a delicious vegetable side dish. 

Look for fiddleheads in local farmers’ markets. If you forage, fiddleheads are the very top of a young ostrich fern and must be picked before unfurling. Forage with an expert and know exactly what you’re looking for; fiddleheads of most other ferns are toxic, and there are a few species that look similar to the ostrich fern when they’re young.

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Credit: Elena Elisseeva Shutterstock

Cream of Fiddleheads Soup

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Credit: bangordailynews.com

Pea Recipes

Fresh peas at the market herald spring’s arrival. Peas add a beautiful green color and delicate taste to any dish, plus they’re packed with nutrients. ​If you’ve ever had peas raw in the garden, there’s nothing like peas right after they’ve been picked before they turn to starch. Nature’s candy! See more about growing peas.

Gingered Beef, Snow Peas, and Carrots

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Green Pea Walnut Pesto

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Credit: Lori Pedrick

Peas and Egg Fried Rice

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Cream of Green Pea Soup

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Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Papa’s Sugar Pea and Veggie Medley

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Credit: Lori Pedrick

Lemony Asparagus and Spring Pea Salad

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Broccoli Recipes

By any conventional standards, broccoli is a nutritional superhero. It’s not just low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals. See how healthy broccoli is! Cook lightly to retain nutrients and maximum flavor. Broccoli can also be grown at home. See our broccoli growing guide.

Creamy Broccoli Carrot Salad

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Broccoli and Cheddar Strata

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Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

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Cream of Broccoli Soup

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Credit: Sam Jones

Cooking Greens (Chard, Kale, Mustard, Collards, Dandelions)

Spring Tonic, using the early greens of spring, may be just the thing you need to get through this month! The trick to enjoying dandelion greens? Harvest them young with their underground crowns attached, and clean them well. Use them as you would spinach, in salads or soups. One thing to know about dandelions is that they are an important spring flower for bees, so you should only take a small amount from multiple areas. Learn more about cooking with dandelions.

Fried Dandelion Blossoms

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Credit: Lyudmila Mikhailovskaya/shutterstock

Dandelion Pesto

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Credit: Quanthem Shutterstock

Dandelion Jelly

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Credit: minadezhda/shutterstock

Rhubarb Recipes

Ah, rhubarb! Sign of spring. We love their bright, tart flavor! Some folks like to sweeten rhubarb with strawberries. Pick rhubarb when the stalks are about 12 to 18 inches long. Don’t eat the leaves, which contain oxalic acid (an irritant). See how to grow rhubarb.

Rhubarb Muffins

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Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

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Easy Rhubarb Sauce

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See more Rhubarb Recipes!

Salad Greens Recipes

After a long winter, don’t we all live for fresh, tender salad greens? Whether you love romaine or arugula, enjoy these cool-season young leaves when they’re at their freshest. Lettuce is very easy to grow from seed; stagger your plantings every few weeks for a continual harvest. See how to grow lettuce

Kale Salad With Cranberries

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Pasta With Greens and Feta

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Beet Salad With Beet Greens

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Credit: Sam Jones/Quinn Brein

Spinach Recipes

Spinach is an iron-rich superfood that must be part of your repertoire. In the spring, spinach appears brighter and greener, and we think the tender leaves are more tasty in the springtime. Baby spinach, which is harvested before it’s mature, is especially delicate. See how to grow spinach.

Spinach Pie

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Credit: Sam Jones/Quinn Brein

Spinach-Stuffed Tomatoes

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Credit: Sam Jones/Quinn Brein

Chicken Spinach Salad 

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Credit: Sam Jones/Quinn Brein

Rosemary Chicken With Spinach

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Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Browse the Recipe Search on our cooking page for more recipe ingredients!

What are your favorite recipes to cook each spring?

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprise that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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