It’s officially spring, and the farmer’s markets and farmstands are brimming with early spring treasures, like ramps and green garlic. And soon, asparagus, the queen of the season, arrives. As a mom and home cook who strives to eat as local and seasonal as possible, I’ve had to come up with a few creative ways to work these spring veggies into our weekly family meal rotation. You’d be surprised how adventurous even the pickiest of eaters becomes when they’re invited into the magic of shopping for and cooking spring produce. Here are four ways to get your whole family excited about spring’s bounty.
- Take them with you. Kids love unearthing treasures, and if your children are anything like my boys, they like a shopping adventure of any kind, especially one that involves weird-looking veggies. I love to bring them to our local greenmarket on Saturday mornings and make a list of the hard-to-find items we’re searching for. In the spring that means coveted ramps, green garlic, and fresh stinging nettle for tea. Sometimes I even print out a little diagram with the veggies on them and let them search our favorite stall. They love holding all the different veggies and saying, “Is this it?!”
- Make a dressing and let them help you. Children love a delicious dressing, especially one they can dunk sliced veggies in or drizzle on a salad, and even more so when they can say they helped make it! We keep a set of kid-friendly knives in the kitchen, and my boys love chopping veggies, so once we get home from the market, I put them to work. This is an especially great activity for those rainy spring weekend days, where you need to occupy everyone at home. I like to make my herby balsamic vinaigrette (see recipe below) and update it with ramps and green garlic. It keeps well in the fridge for a few days and pairs beautifully with so many dishes.
- Wash andproperly store produce as soon as you get home from the farmer’s market. This helps ensure that it’s ready whenever you need it, and there are no excuses standing between you and a nourishing home-cooked meal. My youngest son loves to help wash veggies, so we usually do this together. I have a whole section in my cookbook, Healthy With a Side of Happy, about how to properly wash and store produce, but as a quick tip for things like ramps, I gently soak them for a few minutes in grapefruit seed extract then lay them out to dry on the counter. I wrap them in recycled paper towel and store them in a produce bag in the fridge. For other herbs, like parsley and cilantro, a great trick is to trim the bottom of the stems and then keep them in glass jars of water with a compostable bag (in lieu of a plastic bag) on top to keep them fresh.
- Don’tforget to sit down and enjoy, after you’ve put in all the work of washing, chopping, and preparing! We all have busy schedules and lives, but a family dinner at least once a week is so nourishing for the soul. There’s something deeply rewarding about being involved in the entire process of shopping for and making a meal. My boys take great pride when they’ve been a part of every step, from the farmer’s market to the final meal. If you want your kids to eat well, eat with them. As I always say, taste buds are made not born.
Herby Balsamic Vinaigrette
I love fresh herbs in a salad dressing, especially when paired with acidic, sweet balsamic and lots of fresh lemon juice. I make this recipe a lot in the summer, when thyme, sage, and parsley abound in my garden. Pour it over chopped tomatoes or crisp romaine lettuce, and there’s nothing better. This recipe makes 1½ cups and can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs chopped fresh sage
2 Tbs chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 Tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
¾ tsp fine sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
2 lemons (juiced)
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sage, thyme, parsley, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Add 2 tablespoons water and whisk until fully emulsified.
Sabrina Rudin
