Florida’s Local Produce Harvest: Spring’s Promise

Welcome to the second installment of Florida Local Produce Harvest! (If you missed our first installment, it’s right here: Winter’s Bounty). In this series, we focus on fruits and vegetables that are in season right now in the special and climatically “different” state of Florida, and share easy, healthy, family-friendly recipes. Fortunately for Floridians, our ability to grow a variety of fruits and vegetables year-round makes eating local easy.

Why should you look for local, in-season Florida fruits and vegetables? It’s good for your community and the environment. The items you buy will be fresher, sometimes less expensive, and packed with flavor and aroma.

And although it’s still snowing and freezing like crazy in much of the rest of the country, signs of spring are all over in our part of the world right now, from longer, milder days to the first blossoms on flowering trees. We’re still harvesting a number of cool-season crops, but as the weather quickly warms, you’ll see a transition happening.

So, welcome to Spring’s Promise: fruits and vegetables that are in season in FL in spring. You should be able to find these items at grocery stores, at farmers’ markets, and through Community-Supported Agriculture subscriptions. Keep an eye out for “local” or “Florida” signs or labels. Here’s a list that can help you know what to look for:

Vegetables in Season in FL: Spring

  • Beets
  • Bell pepper
  • Cabbage
  • Carrots (season is ending)
  • Cauliflower
  • Celery
  • Cucumber (March and April)
  • Eggplant
  • Greens (season is ending)
  • Green beans
  • Lettuce (season is ending)
  • Potatoes
  • Radishes
  • Spinach
  • Squash
  • Tomatoes

Fruits:

  • Cantaloupe (April)
  • Carambola
  • Oranges, grapefruit, tangerines…all kinds of citrus
  • Strawberries (season is ending)
  • Watermelon (April)

RECIPES

When trying out these recipes, don’t forget to include your children in preparation when you have time. They’ll learn valuable kitchen skills, and are more likely to eat the dishes, too.

Most kids like green beans. These are easy, with a bit of extra zing from the garlic.

Garlicky Beans with Tomatoes

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups Florida green beans or yardlong beans, snipped and snapped into 1-2 inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 large cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
  • 3 large Florida tomatoes, seeded and chopped into 1/4 inch x 1-2 inch pieces
  • 1 splash wine vinegar
  • salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:
Steam green beans 3 –5 minutes, until bright green, but not yet tender. Combine beans, oil and garlic in a lidded saucepan over medium heat. Cook until garlic is fragrant. Stir in tomatoes. Cover pot, simmer 10 minutes, stir, replace cover and simmer another 10 minutes. Uncover, stir in vinegar and desired seasonings. Cook uncovered 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Serve hot or warm. Cover and refrigerate leftovers.

–Recipe credit: Stefanie Samara Hamblen, Hogtown Homegrown. Used with permission.

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These sweet carrots make use of two other Florida crops—honey and orange juice!

Florida Wildflower Honey Glazed Carrots

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 leek, white part only, halved, sliced small and washed thoroughly
  • 1 pound Florida carrots, sliced
  • 1 cup Florida orange juice
  • 1/4 cup Florida wildflower honey
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh Florida mint
  • Freshly squeezed lemon juice from 2 small lemons
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek and cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Reduce heat to medium. Add carrots and cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until carrots are soft. Discard cinnamon stick before serving.

Recipe credit: Fresh from Florida, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Used with permission.

This salad has some of the familiar flavors of pizza, while also being fresh and healthy.

Tomato & Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 pint fresh grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 cucumbers, peeled and cut into rounds
  • ½ tsp dried or fresh basil
  • 1 tsp dried or fresh parsley
  • 6 tbsp. low-fat vinaigrette
  • 1/2 cup diced or shredded mozzarella cheese.

Directions:

Combine ingredients. Add the mozzarella cheese to the salad. Serve cold.

–Recipe credit: David S. Bearl, Program for Resource Efficient Communities, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Used with permission.

Yellow squash is mild, and often more acceptable to children than zucchini.

Baked Yellow Squash with Parmesan Cheese (6 servings)

Ingredients:

  • 3 medium yellow squash
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 green onions
  • 1 bunch fresh parsley

Directions:

Slice the yellow squash in half lengthwise and place each half skin-side down on a sheet pan. Mince the green onions and parsley and toss them together with the Parmesan cheese. Cover the top of each squash with the cheese mixture. Bake the squash in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese has browned.

–Recipe credit: David S. Bearl, Program for Resource Efficient Communities, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Used with permission.

This sweet salad is really a treat. Even greens-resistant kids will be tempted.

Sweet Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

  • 8 cups Florida spinach leaves, washed and stemmed
  • 4 ounces fresh chevre (creamy goat cheese)
  • 1/2 cup Florida pecans, toasted and chopped
  • 1 cup sliced Florida strawberries
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • bottled dressing, raspberry or poppy seed
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Dry spinach very well. Arrange leaves on individual plates or a large platter. Top with chevre, pecans, strawberries and cranberries. Drizzle with dressing before serving or pass the dressing. Top with freshly ground black pepper to accentuate the sweetness of the strawberries.

–Recipe credit: Stefanie Samara Hamblen, Hogtown Homegrown. Used with permission.

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(Photo credit: Farmers’ Market by Natalie Maynor. CC BY 2.0. Cropped.)

Further Reading:

Hogtown Homegrown–Gainesville-based free monthly newsletter and website featuring recipes using local and seasonal produce.

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Buy Local Florida–Information about Florida farmers’ markets.

Pick Your Own Florida–Information about where to find pick-your-own fruit and veggies in FL (and around the country).

Florida Crops in Season–Displays a chart of crops in season

References:

Hamblen, S. (2007). Hogtown Homegrown. Retrieved from http://www.hogtownhomegrown.com/

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. (n.d.) Florida Crops in Season. Retrieved from http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Marketing-and-Development/Consumer-Resources/Buy-Fresh-From-Florida/Crops-in-Season

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Posted: March 6, 2015


Category: Health & Nutrition, Work & Life
Tags: Healthy Foods, Nutrition And Food Systems


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