Embrace the Spring season, enjoy these favorite European spring foods
Italy: Try New Veggies
In Italian spring markets, you’ll find many familiar and many unfamiliar vegetables. There will still be Artichokes in spring, the spiny artichokes of Sicily and Sardinia - and they will be inexpensive. "Carciofi Spinoso Sardo", looks distinctly different from other varieties. Also called the “edible thistle”, they date back to the ancient Egyptians. Find these delicious fresh Artichokes from January to April.
Try Agretti, a marsh grass that you saute in a little oil and some garlic. Season lightly - if at all because it has a saltiness inherent in its place of birth. Agretti is just perfect for quiches (and frittata or pasta dishes). Native to the Mediterranean area, it can be easily mistaken for chives, but with slightly thicker and longer leaves.
There is also Lampascione, really a specific type of hyacinth bulb that was once Cucina Povera. It means the cooking of the poor and now has become quite trendy. Check out the recipes and soak them well, changing the water often. This Muscari (Muscari comosum) has an absolutely gorgeous flower, and the price from a greengrocer is a lot cheaper than one would find in a garden center. Amazing that gardeners can choose between enjoying lovely spring flowers or food. Reminds me of the Dutch who ate tulip bulbs during the war - which was the Dutch version of Cucina Povera.
French Food in Spring
60 percent of France’s strawberry production is grown in the Dordogne Valley and production lies in and around the village of Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne. These wild strawberries of France are a must! Even rarer, are the strawberries grown in the Aveyron are special and ripen earlier than garden strawberries. Sensational delicious Strawberries can be bought and tasted at Farmer Markets in early May. The "Gariguette" is the absolutely perfect, legendary French strawberry created by those who know everything about strawberries.
UK and Germany
Asparagus Festivals are taking place in the UK and in Germany in Spring. Late April, early May is the start of a two-month asparagus festival in the Vale of Evesham in Worcestershire in the Cotswolds. White asparagus season in Germany and the north of Europe starts in early May and lasts until late June. The white asparagus is grown underground. Therefore, the white asparagus is not exposed to sunlight and doesn't produce chlorophyll. The verdant asparagus pokes through the dirt as it grows, soaking up the sun and producing chlorophyll, which is what turns the vegetable green. White asparagus is often accompanied by thin slices of ham, new potatoes, and sauce hollandaise.
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Enjoy these delicious European Spring dishes!
Or grow these veggies and fruits in your own garden!