What's in season: Making use of fresh seasonal produce

Nathan Havenner, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
·3 min read

Apr. 30—With spring in the air, there will soon be a plethora of seasonal fruit and vegetables at the fingertips of home chefs and professionals alike. From vegetables like asparagus and tomatoes to fruits like strawberries and raspberries, there are several ways to get creative with fresh in-season produce.

Nicholas Payne, chef at City Walk in Owensboro, said spring gives him the ability to work with fresh fruits and vegetables that can be harder to come by in the fall and winter months.

"Right now, we are using a lot of summertime items like vegetables and fruit that pair with the season," Payne said. "Something light yet filling."

Payne said asparagus is one vegetable he likes to utilize on his menu this time of year, and it is something that can easily be prepared in home kitchens.

"Here we actually grill it on our grill, just throw a little bit of butter on there and some salt and pepper or a little bit of garlic powder in there with it and it turns out real nice," he said.

To kick it up another notch, the asparagus can be wrapped in prosciutto and baked in the oven. A move that even the most discerning meat eater is sure to approve of.

"Asparagus is nice this time of year, they are just nice and plump," Payne said. "Everything just seems to be a lot bigger and since it's harvest time everything you get is a lot fresher."

When it comes to fruits, Payne said seasonal items like mangos, pineapples and strawberries go great on salads.

"You might want to put on some candied walnuts," he said. "You want to sugar them up and bake them in the oven and then you want to throw some tomatoes in there. The fruits with the vegetables actually mix really well."

Salads can then be finished off with a fresh raspberry vinaigrette for a splash of color.

Suzanne Cecil White, co owner of Cecil Farms in Owensboro, said some places in Owensboro will already have tomato plants popping up and ready to go.

"People are definitely excited to get their hands on some good tomatoes," she said. "Ours will start coming in the next couple of weeks, but I know there are some earlier growers in our area."

Switching gears to fruits, White said there is always a lot of excitement in the community surrounding strawberry season, which typically ends by the first week of June.

"There is nothing comparable to fresh picked strawberries," she said. "They are so juicy; they are bright red all the way through and are just incomparable to what we are used to in the grocery store."

Part of the popularity of fresh strawberries is that the season lasts for such a short time.

"We get a good six weeks if we are lucky," White said.

It is also important to utilize fresh strawberries as quickly as possible.

"Fresh picked strawberries really need to be used within 24-36 hours, just because they are picked at the peak of ripeness, which is what makes them taste so good, but you also need to use them quickly," White said.

Just because someone does not have a home garden is no reason they have to miss out on fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables thanks to the vendors at the Owensboro Regional Farmers Market.

"I think it is the center point of our community now," White said. "They have made it so nice, and it is something that people want to just go and stroll through on Saturday morning and the best part is they are strolling through and they are finding a lot of things that they like."