May brings us vegetables which are turned into desserts, and fruits which become savory courses. From the fresh fruits, there are some interesting choices, but there are also a few cautions! First, early season fruits can be very acidic, which is a turn-off for many. Second, many of the early season fruits are grown in greenhouses and harvested while still green. These fruits are…well…tasteless. The fruits which have been allowed to mature under a natural sun are mostly from Southern Italy, the Provence region of France, or Spain. These fruits are…well…full of flavor! May is also an excellent time for preparing salads. The greens are plentiful, and there is a nice mixture of bitter and sweet leaves to choose from. Accompanying salad greens are plenty of colorful and full-flavored vegetables. Young carrots, cucumbers (not the long English varieties), very mild radishes in various shapes and sizes, and of course, the increasing selection of fresh Italian tomatoes. May’s shopping basket can certainly be filled with many refreshing and flavorful fresh products, but May itself is perhaps best defined by the wide selection and easy availability of fresh asparagus. Here are a few products to look for, avoid, search out on the wild side, and look ahead toward…
what to look for Asparagus in May is always at the top of anyone’s shopping list who is interested in fresh and local products. The best choices for white asparagus are those that come from Southern Germany, Alsace, France (Cavillon), or the Donau region (Austria/Slovakia). Increasingly, white asparagus from Switzerland are showing up on the market, and as a result, prices for import asparagus are on the rise. There are also quite a few scams at the market to be aware of. Scams such as Greek or Hungarian asparagus being sold as higher-priced Donau asparagus. To insure absolute freshness, rub two spears together…they should produce a noticeable screeching sound if they are truly fresh. For green asparagus, look for those coming from Italy, Spain, or Switzerland. The best bets in May are those coming from Canton Thurgau. Remember, asparagus should be consumed as close to harvest as possible, which means the closer you are to the harvesting point the better chance you have of enjoying truly fresh asparagus. Around the Zürich area, there are multiple choices available to those who would like to purchase asparagus directly from the farmer. There is an asparagus festival in the small town of Flaach (about 20 minutes north of Zürich) on Sunday, May 6th. More information is available at the following link:
www.spargel.ch/spargelfest.htm. Another option is visiting Jucker Farms, where you can harvest your own asparagus daily until the end of June. Visit the following link for more information:
www.juckerfarmart.ch. May is not just about asparagus…there are plenty of other fresh selections waiting at the market. If you haven’t had the chance to experience fresh
Italian tomatoes, then now is the time! Look for either the
Sardo or
Pacchino varieties, which are approaching their prime season. Other tomato varieties are beginning to show up at the market (
pelatti or
San Marzano), but these tomatoes are coming from a greenhouse and they are not your best options in May. Also coming from Italy are fresh
garden peas. Like asparagus, peas begin losing their flavor and nutritional qualities as soon as they are harvested. The best time to find fresh peas at the market is on the weekend when new shipments from Italy arrive.
Spring onions from Switzerland are plentiful right now. It is easy to find yellow, white or red varieties, which are bursting with sweet flavor. Spring onions should not be confused with the thin scallions often used in Asian cuisine. Spring onions are immature onions. For a nice treat, try coating spring onions in olive oil and sea salt, then grilling them over a hot fire until nicely marked. Young
swiss chard and
fennel are also available right now. The former are from Switzerland, while the latter are coming from Italy. Both are moist and full of flavor. Enjoy swiss chard quickly sautéed with a few olives, or young fennel raw with just a bit of olive oil and lemon juice. Young and sweet
radishes from France are also in abundance. They come in a variety of colors and shapes. Especially sweet are the elongated red or white (
Daikon) varieties.
Young carrots from Switzerland are also plentiful from May until June. From the fruits, consider
melons,
strawberries and
nespole (similar to apricots). The melons from Cavillon in France are especially nice toward the middle part of the month. These melons can be expensive at CHF 9 per melon, but they are truly a special treat. Fresh strawberries are available right now, but only look for those coming from Italy. Swiss strawberries begin showing up at the market toward the end of May or the beginning of June. Nespole form Spain are tart and full of vitamins. They have a flavor somewhere between cherries and apricots. One final tip to consider is the
lemon. Lemons are often overlooked and not considered as a fresh seasonal product. But, lemons do change in their flavor, and there are plenty of reasons to search for fresh alternatives. One such alternative are the lemons from Liguria in Italy. You can experience these little gems first hand by visiting the lemon festival in Monterosso (Cinque Terre) during the middle part of May. Here is a link for more information:
www.cinqueterre.it/en/cta8.html what to avoid
Tomatoes which are not Italian. There are plenty of tomatoes available in May, but most of them are mass produced in Holland, Morocco, Israel, and Spain. These tomatoes are really not flavorful. Cucumbers are also widely available, but most are from a greenhouse and have very thick skins. Red and yellow bell peppers are mostly from Spain, and are mass produced in large greenhouses using heavy amounts of pesticides. Strawberries are coming into season, but avoid those coming from somewhere else other than Italy…at least until the end of the month. Avoid asparagus from anywhere outside of Switzerland, Italy, Germany, France, or Austria. Green-fleshed melons (mostly from Spain) and Spanish cantaloupes are harvested immature. They should be either avoided, or allowed to mature at room temperature for a few days (they will attract a lot of fruit flies and never reach their full flavor potential).
on the wild side
There are plenty of wild (and free) options available in May. Bärlauch is still plentiful, although they are becoming harsh in their flavor as they bloom. Wild nettles are appearing everywhere. Try to harvest the younger leaves toward the top, and remember to wear gloves. Wash wild nettles very well, and plunge them into boiling salted water for about one minute to remove their stinging capability. After cooling in cold water, the leaves can be easily removed from the stems. Elderberry trees are blooming this year about 3-4 weeks early. Elderberry flowers are quite fragrant. They make excellent syrups when steeped in water and mixed with sugar.
looking ahead…
June has many new fruits to enjoy, as well as plenty of vegetable options. Look for young beets from Switzerland, bell peppers and fresh cranberry beans from Italy, green beans from Switzerland, young eggplant from Switzerland, apricots from France, gooseberries, cherries, and red currants from Switzerland and Germany.
Happy shopping and cooking…
I totally agree with your opinion of tomatoes. Asparagus is not to be scoffed at - too bad only a few grow in our garden. 
Linear Mode
