Spring into action: 5 family friendly local adventures for March Break
March 14, 2016
All a-buzz: how BC’s honey industry and blueberry farmers make a sweet mix
May 16, 2016
Spring has sprung, but for local foodies, it’s still an impatient wait until greenhouse-grown veggies become available in late May. Luckily for us, BC has fresh greens available now – including tender young asparagus! There are also lots of local foods on offer year-round, if you know what to look for: think milk, cheese, root vegetables and eggs. Want to check what’s in season right now? Check out our In Season search tool, and then get set to whip up our refreshing spring recipes – below, we’ve picked just a few of our favourites from our library for you to try. And, if you have a spring recipe we missed, we want to hear from you: at the end of this post, we’ll show you how to share your recipes with the community.
Asparagus is the surest sign of spring – and it’s in season locally for just April and May! Celebrate this gorgeous green with a versatile Asparagus Pesto from one of our favourite local food writers: Okanagan’s Jennifer Schell. Says Jennifer: “This is a fresh-tasting pesto that has an unbelievable saucy texture and super green colour. It’s great tossed with pasta, on grilled chicken, in a panini, on bruschetta…basically on anything that likes pesto.”
For chilly April evenings, warm up with some soup: Chicken Asparagus Soup With Asiago Cheese or Onion Soup With Aged Cheddar can both be assembled with in-season ingredients – and as herbs come into season, you can add beautiful green toppings for a little crunch. Be sure to watch for fiddleheads at your local Farmers’ Market (late spring is the time to find them) so you can enjoy a pot of this jade green Cream of Fiddlehead soup.
Main courses are a cinch in springtime when you use fresh ingredients and give dishes a little sticking power with a zingy sauce. Tiny and delectable, BC scallops are available year round. Give them a spring re-boot when you toss them in this lovely lemon cream sauce and add a fresh salad on the side. For busy weekdays, this ginger and lime Thai Pork burrito comes together fast (hint: if you’re hungry for green, switch out the tortilla and wrap it in a lettuce leaf.) And to shake up your weekly routine, try Pork Tenderloin With Mustard and Tarragon Sauce – it sounds fancy but it comes together quickly for a satisfying main course.
Got a spring salad you love, or a comforting meal that gets you through April’s storms? Help us get set for spring, and add your favourite recipes featuring local food to our library: just head here, and click submit! We’ll be sharing our favourites on our Facebook and Twitter feeds – so be sure to follow us for more dinner ideas.