Even though Southeastern Pennsylvania saw some of the coldest temperatures and snowiest days of this winter last week, it is actually time to think about those spring vegetable gardens. Seeds will be ready to plant between mid and late March, depending if there is snow or not on the ground. So now really is the time to plan and buy seeds in preparation for March. In choosing vegetables and herbs to plant for the spring, be sure to choose hardy plants that can withstand snow and freezing temperatures. Some to consider are: assorted lettuces, arugula, radishes, kale, Swiss chard, collard greens, spinach, onions, beets, snap peas, cilantro, dill, and chives.
There is nothing quite as tender and satisfying as a salad full of spring pickings-lettuce never tastes as fresh as it does in the spring. There are so many varieties of lettuces, might as well plant several types for a medley of flavors-butter, oak leaf, escarole, and romaine to name just a few. Add arugula and radishes to give your salad a bit of spice.
Strong greens like kale, Swiss chard, and collards are so hardy and fruitful that they start producing in the spring and, if maintained, keep producing into the fall. One of the best ways to experience these greens is to boil them with potatoes and add a little butter and salt.
Spinach is such a multi-purpose vegetable. It’s delicious in the raw or cooked in numerous dishes. Spinach gives scrambled eggs, omelets, and quiches a little punch of veggie goodness. Both tomato and cream pastas have so much more flavor with the addition of fresh spinach. For a fancy puff pastry appetizer, spinach makes a wonderful filling when combined with cheese.
Onions are of course one of the most used flavorings in cooking. In the spring, they are harvested as green onions—the bulb and the succulent green stalk are both edible. Raw green onion is lovely in a salad. If left alone, the onions continue to grow in size and strength, the green stalk shrivels and they become a thick onion bulb by early summer to be eaten or stored for later use.
Beets are a fun vegetable. They make colorful soups, can be pickled for a bit of zip, and are tasty boiled and then flavored with butter or baked with potatoes.
Snap peas are a treat raw on a salad or sautéed and thrown over rice.
Cooking lacks imagination and flavor without herbs. Cilantro is essential to making fresh salsa. It also adds zing to burritos or Thai style stir fries. Dill perks up a potato salad, and chives go well in dips.
These are just a few suggestions for possible uses of these delicious crops. But if you plant in March, by the end of April you will be feasting on an array of veggies, and your April self will thank you for your labor and foresight.
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