5 Things To Start Looking For At Your Local Springtime Greenmarket
5 photos
<p><strong>RHUBARB</strong> stalks (don't eat the leaves, they're toxic) usually start showing up in April, sticking around through September. They make a great pie, but you can also transform them into a number of other things. Last year we made <a href="http://instagram.com/p/LYTwK2vYdX/">a rhubarb chutney</a> that went perfectly with a fresh baked loaf of bread and thin shavings of parmesan. Here's a recipe <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/348836/rhubarb-chutney">from Martha</a>.</p>
Photo via Miss April's flickr<p><strong>RAMPS</strong> Well, we have written many odes to <a href="http://gothamist.com/tags/ramps">ramps</a> in our lifetime, so we'll keep this simple. Ramps are so good that they go well WITH EVERYTHING. Sautee them and eat them with your hands, like an animal. Cook them up with some pasta. <a href="http://gothamist.com/2011/04/15/cooking_with_ramps_pasta_cornbread.php">Add them to cornbread</a>. But whatever you do, you better save some for some ramps pesto. We'll post our recipe when these gems start showing up at the greenmarkets... <a href="http://gothamist.com/2013/03/27/ramps.php">they're running late this year</a>.</p>
<p><strong>DANDELION GREENS</strong> These greens can be bitter, so you'll want to dress them with something that will cut that. What works well? "Bacon, maple and leek-sweetened vinaigrette, and a luscious poached egg" (<a href="http://food52.com/recipes/11663-dandelion-greens-salad">get the recipe here</a>). You <a href="http://www.yumsugar.com/How-Enjoy-Dandelion-Greens-2950313">can also</a> toss them in with some other greens, or add them to a soup.</p>
<p><strong>MORELS</strong> People get <a href="http://greenmarketreport.wordpress.com/2008/05/14/yellow-morels/">really excited</a> about morels! They're like the ramps of mushrooms... except more expensive, usually going for around $50/lb. They're already starting showing up at the city's greenmarketsâif you splurge on some try them <a href="http://food52.com/recipes/11097-morel-crostini">on top of some crostini</a>. And if you try to hunt down some freebies, <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2011/04/for-love-and-mushrooms-cooking.html">be careful</a>!</p>
<p><strong>FIDDLEHEAD FERNS</strong> are strange looking little guys that start turning up at the greenmarket around now. They taste similar to asparagus, are a good source of vitamin A and C, and pair well with just about anything. You can sautee them on their own with some garlic, add them as a side to a fish dish, or even toss them in <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/fiddlehead-ferns-and-angel-hair-pasta-recipe/index.html">with some pasta</a>.</p>