We’re ready for spring, and at the time of the vernal equinox — Sunday, March 20 this year — that usually means maple syrup. For the past two weekends, New York Maple Days returned after a two-year break during the coronavirus pandemic. Now farms and food producers are beginning to open their doors again, and that puts smiles on our faces.

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 from around the Adirondack North Country region. Some lettuce varieties are already available from small farms, and meat producers are busy year-round.

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 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.

Adirondack Harvest, a program of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Essex County, provides a list of food in season by month in the Adirondack region. We’ve included food from the spring months of March through June.

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Always in season

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Butter

Cheese

Dried beans

Dried herbs and spices

Eggs

Fermented foods

Frozen veggies and fruits

Grains, flours, cornmeal

Honey and bee products

Ice cream

Maple products

Meat (goat, lamb, pork, chickens, beef, turkey)

Milk

Sauces and condiments

Yogurt

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In season

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MARCH

–

Horseradish

Lettuce, baby greens

Micro-greens

Mushrooms

Parsley

Salad mix

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APRIL

–

Chives

Fiddleheads

Greens mix

Horseradish

Lettuce, baby greens

Micro-greens

Mushrooms

Nettle

Parsley

Pea shoots

Ramps

Salad mix

–

MAY

–

Arugula

Asparagus

Chives

Fiddleheads

Garlic scapes

Greens mix

Lettuce, baby greens

Lettuce, head

Micro-greens

Mushrooms

Nettle

Parsnips

Pea shoots

Radish

Ramps

Rhubarb

Salad mix

Sorrel

Spinach

Swiss chard

Turnip

–

JUNE

–

Arugula

Asparagus

Basil

Beets

Broccoli

Cherry

Chives

Currant

Dill

Fennel

Garlic

Garlic scapes

Gooseberry

Green onions

Greens mix

Groundcherry

Kale

Kohlrabi

Lemon balm

Lettuce, baby greens

Lettuce, head

Mint

Mushrooms

Peas, snap

Radish

Rhubarb

Salad mix

Shallots

Sorrel

Spinach

Strawberry

Swiss chard

Turnip

–

Might be available or available in storage

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MARCH

–

Apples

Beets

Cabbage

Carrots

Chives

Garlic

Greens mix

Kale

Nettle

Onion

Parsnips

Potatoes

Radish

Ramps

Shallots

Spinach

Squash, winter

Sweet potatoes

Turnip

–

APRIL

–

Apples

Beets

Cabbage

Carrots

Kale

Onion

Parsnips

Potatoes

Radish

Shallots

Spinach

Sweet potatoes

–

MAY

–

Apples

Beets

Carrots

Green onions

Kale

Micro-greens

Onion

Potatoes

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JUNE

–

Apples

Carrots

Nasturtium

Squash, summer

Tomato, cherry