Shel Horowitz’s Frugal Fun Tip, April 2009

Around the parts of the Northern Hemisphere that don’t have a winter growing season, the earth is waking up and beginning to share its bounty. Each region has its own special crops to look forward to in April and May, and wherever you live, there’s bound to be some tasty stuff available for foraging or purchased from local farmstands and gourmet shops.

As an example, these are some of the treats we have in my own area of Western Massachusetts

• Maple syrup, our first crop of the year with production in March–and lots of the sugar houses do pancake breakfasts during sugaring season.
• Asparagus: my own town of Hadley, MA was once the asparagus capital of the world, and the succulent, fresh stalks we get here are a completely superior experience over anything shipped across the country. It’s not even that hard to grow your own, though you have to plan a few years ahead.
• Fiddlehead ferns. I’m personally not crazy about them, but in a few weeks, we’ll start to see avid fiddlehead collectors every time we go hiking. If you like okra, you might like these too.
• Dandelion Greens: when they’re young and tender, the add a pleasant, slightly bitter taste to a salad.
• Sugar Snap Peas: Really fresh ones are sweet and crunchy and don’t even need to be cooked!
• Rhubard can be used for far more than pie. It adds a nice tart punch to a stirfry or salad, for instance.

And what’s in season where you live?

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