Spring recipes

Spring brings bright and fresh-flavored recipes, a welcomed change after months of heavier stews and roasts.

While lettuce is available all year, it thrives in the cooler spring weather and tastes less bitter. Try making salad for dinner one night every week.

Asparagus is another sign of spring - the first vegetable to emerge from the ground. Depending on where you live, farmers markets will have asparagus as early as March in warmer climates, but not until sometime in April for everyone else.

Spring fruits (like small berries) don't show up until April for warmer climates, or May for cooler ones. But after a long winter of eating citrus fruit, it's hard to be patient for these to show up locally, but well worth the wait for a superior quality and flavor.