That’s because – in our haste for warmer weather as we try to shake off winter’s grip and cabin fever – the onset of maple season means that the days are getting warmer, even though the nights may still be very cold. We’re ready for spring, and at the time of the vernal equinox – Wednesday, March 20 this year – that usually means maple syrup. Plus, we love the taste of it.

Yet, as the weeks of spring move closer to summer, there will be more crops available to fill our larders and refrigerator crisp drawers. It’s hard to imagine now, but we’ll soon be eating fresh fruits and vegetables grown this year in Essex County. Some lettuce varieties are already available from small farms, and meat producers are busy year-round.

Some of the foods available from local farms in the spring include radishes, chives, dry beans, mushrooms, sorrel, pork sausage and turnips. Then there’s the lettuce, chard, raw milk, spinach, yogurt, strawberries, asparagus, rhubarb, eggs and cheese.

Alcoholic beverage makers from the region are always brewing beer, distilling spirits or aging wine. Bakers are always making bread and sweet treats. Chocolatiers are always making candy. Cheese makers are always making cheese. And restaurants are always serving up farm-to-table dishes with local ingredients.

In the meantime, we’re using up the winter storage crops – onions, apples, potatoes, carrots, squash and garlic – and the fruits and vegetables that were canned or frozen last summer and fall.

In the final weeks of spring, farmers and food producers will be selling their products at farmers markets around Essex County – including Lake Placid, Elizabethtown and Keene – and in the village of Saranac Lake, just over the border in Franklin County.

That’s when the bounty from the spring toil is ready for another season of good eats. Savor the season. Happy spring!

For more information about local food, consider visiting the Adirondack Harvest website at adirondackharvest.com.