It seemed to jump from a rainy, early spring here in Northern California straight to the heat of summer. Though it comes as a surprise each year, the heat is normal and it encourages the ripening of some of our favorite summer fruits. In the span of a couple of weeks, the farmer’s market changes from green, green, green, to red, blue, purple! The variety in color, taste, and texture is so consuming that my farmer’s market mornings get longer and longer as I walk and dream of all the delicious possibilities. Here are some of my favorite picks for May:
Apricots: Available from May through September, apricots are an Asian fruit, first brought to Europe by the Greeks who called them “golden eggs of the sun.” Like most orange hued plants, apricots are an excellent source of vitamin A and carotenes. Select fruits with a uniform golden-orange color and rich aroma. Ripened apricots are very delicate and should be handled with care. Store them in the fridge in an egg crate where they won’t get bruised.
Blueberries: These little nutrient powerhouses contain the most antioxidants of any fruit and are good sources of fiber and vitamin C. Though their peak season is July, blueberries start appearing in May, in time to usher in the first days of summer. Look for berries that are vibrantly colored, taut, and shiny. Use your berries in salads, desserts and as part of a delicious breakfast or snack. Stock your freezer with bags of unwashed blueberries so you can enjoy them throughout the year.
Cantaloupe: Another orange fruit high in vitamin A and carotenes, cantaloupe is also a great source of vitamin C and potassium. Available from May through September, this juicy summer fruit is delicious on its own and its sweetness pairs well with salty meats, like prosciutto, and fresh herbs, like mint or rosemary. Choose cantaloupes that feel heavy for their size with a spongy, sweet-smelling stem.
Eggplant: Eggplants, or aubergines as they’re known in France, are a delicious member of the nightshade family along with tomatoes, bell peppers, and potatoes. They’re an excellent source of fiber as well as vitamin C and potassium. Select eggplants that are firm with green leaves as they can become bitter when they’re over-mature. As a tropical fruit, they’re best kept at room temperature so store them on your countertop and enjoy within a few days.
Bell Peppers: A fantastic source of vitamin C, vitamin A, and antioxidants, bell peppers are a blood-sugar-sparing vegetable perfect for adding crunch and sweetness to your meals. Peppers should be vivid in color with firm skin and feel heavy for their size. Enjoy them raw, dipped in hummus, roasted, sautéed, or in soups or chili. They’re a member of the nightshade family, so they’re best avoided if you’re sensitive to other nightshades.
Peaches: Nothing says summer more than stone fruit, and to me, peaches are the jewel in summer’s crown. They start ripening in late spring, but may not reach their peak sweetness until mid-summer. A good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, the early Chinese would use the pit for medicine and call the fruit the “longevity peach” as it was believed to extend life. Choose peaches with a sweet fragrance and are soft, but not mushy. Firmer peaches should be left on the counter to ripen, and ripe peaches should be stored in the fridge and eaten as quickly as possible.
Plums: Known mostly for their antioxidant content and ability to increase iron absorption, plums are another sweet summer treat that begins to appear in May. Look for plums that have a rich color and feel slightly soft to the touch. Consume plums at their ripest for highest antioxidant content and avoid buying plums that are underripe as they probably won’t develop a good taste and texture profile.
Tomatoes: As one of the most commonly consumed fruits, tomatoes tend to be available in markets year-round. Tomatoes are a fabulous source of lycopene and studies have shown the nutrients in tomatoes to support heart health and bone density. Look for smooth-skinned tomatoes with vibrant color and be sure to enjoy different varieties which range in color from light yellow to deep red. Tomatoes are sensitive to cold, so be sure to store them at room temperature and avoid cooking with aluminum cookware as their high acid content can interact with the metal in the cookware.
, Gwyneth Paltrow shares her personal health journey which lead her to an adrenal-supporting elimination diet. Her story sounds so similar to many of my clients and it seems that the advice she received from her health care providers is in line with what I would recommend to those sitting in my office.
Gwyneth’s Flourless Anything Crumble
Celery: Though mostly known as a low-calorie food, celery’s nutritional value shouldn’t be ignored. Celery is a high fiber food with antioxidants that specifically support the digestive tract. Choose bright green celery with tightly packed stalks that are crisp and snap easily. Store in the refrigerator and use within 4-5 days.
Cherries: Like many brightly-colored foods, cherries are considered a “superfood” because of their high antioxidant content. Cherries are one of the few foods that contain melatonin, an antioxidant that helps regulate heart rhythms and the body’s sleep cycle. Look for cherries that are firm with a deep, rich color and bright green stem. Store them in the fridge to keep them fresh.
Chives: Chives are the sweet, fresh top greens of lily family vegetables. They’re often confused with green onions and scallions and are one-quarter of the classic French fines herbes quartet which also includes chervil, parsley and tarragon. High in fiber, vitamin A and folate, add chives to your salad dressings, eggs, sauces, muffins and biscuits.
Fava Beans: These protein-rich beans are delicious, but take a bit of work before you can enjoy them. Fava beans have outer shells that are about 8-9 inches long. You’ll have to shell the beans as well as steam them to remove the spongy outer layer to get to the edible, nutty bean. Enjoy them in soups, stews, casseroles, dips, and salads!
Goat Cheese: Though goat cheese is available year-round, goats give birth in the spring so milk, and thus fresh goat cheese, becomes available starting in April. Other aged varieties are available during the rest of the year. A good source of calcium and tryptophan, goat’s milk products are the most common dairy consumed in many parts of the world. Fresh, unaged goat cheese is generally sold in logs or rounds and has a soft, creamy, spreadable texture. Aged cheeses have either a crust or an edible ash and have a fluffy middle and gooey exterior.
Nettles: Nettles are a unique spring treat that have been used to make tea in many traditional cultures to support the GI tract and strengthen the immune system. Nettles can sting, so be sure to wear gloves when handling them and place them directly in a pot to boil with water. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for a few minutes. When finished, you can strain the tea to drink and serve the boiled nettles with a pat of butter!
Peas: Nothing says spring to me more than those big, firm, spring peas that you can only find at the farmer’s market. Far from the frozen peas your mom used to make you eat, these peas can be an elegant and nutrient-rich addition to your spring table. Look for pea pods that are firm, velvety and smooth. The peas inside should be large and fill the space within the pod. If you don’t eat them right away, quickly store them in the refrigerator to slow the conversion of their sugar content into starch.
Watercress: You may only know watercress as a garnish at fancy restaurants, but I’d like to make a case for a more prominent place on your plate. High in lutein and iodine, watercress has been used to support eye and thyroid health. Its bitter, peppery flavor provides the perfect balance to sweet fruits like grapes and pineapple and can be used in everything from salads to soups to scrambles!
Acorn Squash: It’s about the end of the road for the warm and comforting winter squash. These hearty, stick-to-your-bones kind of vegetables make their exit every spring to give way to lighter, crunchier fare. They come back again just in time for fall’s first cold snap. The acorn squash is a sweet variety, like the spaghetti squash. During the darker winter months, acorn squash provides important nutrients to our diet like vitamins A, C and B complex, potassium, dietary fiber, manganese, folate, omega-3 fatty acids, copper and tryptophan. Have someone strong cut through the tough skin, give it a good roast and stuff it with meats, vegetables, nuts and cheese.
Asian Greens: Planted in the sun-warmed summer soil, Asian greens grow during the cooler months and can add an interesting assortment of flavors and aromas to your meals. High in fiber and nutrition, Asian greens provide the same type of health benefits as other leafy green vegetables. Seek out names like Bok Choy, Chinese Kale, Chinese Parsley, Chrysanthemum Greens, Garlic Chives, Komatsuna, Misome, Mizuna, Mustard Greens, Napa Cabbage, and Tatsoi for your next stir fry.
Asparagus: One of the first vegetables to announce the arrival of spring, asparagus is best when extremely fresh. Choose stems that are firm and thin, with dark green or purple closed tips. Asparagus is best known for its anti-inflammatory properties and is a good source of the digestive support nutrient, inulin. Store asparagus in the refrigerator with the ends wrapped in a damp towel and use within 2 days of purchase.
Blood Oranges: Adding a beautiful, red pigment to your salads and snacks, blood oranges are both a visual and gastronomical treat. Just like other oranges, blood oranges provide excellent antioxidant protection and immune support and even contain more vitamin C and anthocyanins than their orange counterparts. Anthocyanins are the flavanoids responsible for the red, purple and blue hues appreciated in many, fruits, vegetables and flowers and are most well-known for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, protecting many of our body systems.
Cardoons: If it weren’t for my weekly CSA delivery, I would have never discovered cardoons. Cardoons are of Mediterranean origin and are well known in Europe, playing a traditional role in Christmas Eve festivities in Italy, Spain, Sardinia and France. Being thistles, cardoons are most closely related to the artichoke, but the edible stalks look more like celery. Like celery, cardoons are a low-calorie food that still provide good amounts of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Cardoons are best boiled or roasted and enjoyed with dip, and they can also be braised, sautéed, added to soup, or baked with butter and cream.
Cherimoya: Proving the sentiment that you can’t judge a book by its cover, it’s easy to ignore the cherimoya’s awkward shape and lumpy, green and brown skin. However, their creamy, vanilla colored flesh has been described by Mark Twain as “deliciousness itself.” The cherimoya fruit tastes like a combination of mango, vanilla, banana, pineapple and coconut. The nutritional qualities of the cherimoya shouldn’t be ignored, either. High in potassium, dietary fiber and powerful phytonutrients, herbalists in the cherimoya’s native South America have long cultivated the fruit for its medicinal properties.
Parsley: Like many herbs, parsley can grow year-round and, like most herbs, should play an important role in your meals during the cooler months when produce variety is limited. More than just a garnish on your plate, parsley provides volatile oils and flavanoids that are protective of many body systems. Personally, I prefer the Italian, or flat-leaf variety as it is more fragrant and has a less bitter taste than the curly leaf variety.
Walnuts: These nutritional powerhouses are typically harvested in the fall and left to dry for a few weeks. Though they’re found in stores year-round, it’s best to stock up on nuts when they’re fresh in the winter and early spring to ensure that their delicate oils are protected by proper storage throughout the year. If you’re buying shelled walnuts, look for nuts that do not look shriveled or rubbery. Store them in an airtight container in a cool, dark place (the refrigerator) for up to six months, or in the freezer for up to one year. The nutrients in many nuts and seeds are best utilized by our bodies when they’ve been soaked. (You can apply to same technique to walnuts as is mentioned in this 
are obvious, but its wonderfully high fat content is what makes it nourishing to both the body and the soul this time of year. Long noted for its vast beneficial qualities, the coconut palm is known in the Philippines as “the tree of life” and the Sanskrit word for the coconut palm literally means “the tree that supplies all that is needed to live.”
Dear Paula,
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Here we are in the supposed dead of winter, though it doesn’t really feel like it in California. However, if my local farmer’s market is any indication of what’s going on around the country, the pickings are predictably slim. Now, there are plenty of root vegetables, but one’s blood sugar can only handle so many of those starchy carbohydrates. What’s a girl with a penchant for a balanced diet to do?
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Almond Milk