I hope everyone is ready for Valentine’s Day. Share a delicious dinner out on the town or a romantic dinner at home with the one you love. This also means that we are half way through February and hopefully Spring is right around the corner. So while enjoy making soups for the freezer and baking homemade bread. My mind is daydreaming about Spring!

Spring is a great time of year for spinach, peas, asparagus and foraged foods like fiddle head ferns, ramps and the Morel mushroom.

Ramps (wild onions) are one of the first wild foods to appear each Spring in rich maple/beech forests. They are often found in clumps (often along side poison ivy).. I love cooking with these tasty wild onions. The smell of fresh ramps is very sharp and pungent like a strong onion but the flavor mellows with cooking.

Fiddlehead Ferns are another delicacy of spring with a very short season. Often 2 weeks or less locally. They may be eaten raw but I prefer them cooked and tossed in tomato sauce or garlic butter. Another option is to but them in pickle juice to pickle. Almost any recipe for asparagus will work for them.

Morel Mushrooms I consider to be the King of Spring foods in Michigan. April thru May is generally the season in MI. Temperature and moisture play a big roll in when they begin to pop up. Morels, like all wild mushrooms, should be cooked well. For morels on a salad fry them at a lower temperature until crispy. Sauteed or in soup the Morel mushrooms are excellent and do not need to be smothered with other ingredients. Morels can be very expensive to purchase but you can be easily be taught how to find your own.

Spinach is one of the earliest greens of Spring. Excellent in salads (I still love Hot bacon dressing on Spinach) it may also be sauteed quickly and used as a garnish or quick side dish. I personally love adding it to soups.

Peas are another of the earliest vegetables. They tend to be especially sweet when fresh. For an especially good treat add a small amount of softened butter mixed with a little flour and some chopped mint for a refreshing spring side dish.

Asparagus is my all time favorite vegetable and its prolific nature means it can be enjoyed spring through early summer. Michigan has many local producers through out the State so you can enjoy it fresh and delicious! It is awesome cooked and chilled and tossed with a vinaigrette as a salad. It is fabulous vegetable for the grill as well.

Many of these delicious Spring foods will become available soon as there seasons start a month or two sooner in the Southern States. So let’s think Spring!