As we roll into May, more and more vegetables and fruits come back to life. Spring brings with it many of our favourite leafy greens and resistant starches to help break the fast of our bare gardens from early Spring. 

So, if you’re looking to eat in rhythm with the seasons, you're going to want to add these 6 plants into your cooking!

 1. Carrots

Carrots are in the same family as dill, fennel, parsley and parsnip. Native to the Middle east and Asia, carrots were brought over to the Americas by European colonists. While they may not be native to North America, we sure have done a great job of cultivating them and making them part of our culinary culture.

Some of my favourite species are Rainbow carrots. The red, purples, whites, yellows and oranges add vibrant colours to your plate! Not to mention, all the diverse flavours and pigments. Carrots are a major source of beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A (retinol), which is important for immune function, eye health and mucosal health (the mucus that lines our lungs, gastrointestinal system, and bladder). It’s also a key nutrient needed for vibrant hair, skin and nails. Beyond that, carrots have been shown to have a strong detoxification effect. Raw carrot salads in particular have been shown to help with the elimination of endotoxins (accumulated metabolic waste from hormone metabolism, bacterial toxins, etc) via the colon. Raw carrots have the ability to gently scrape the colon to aid in the removal of this waste. Due to the high content of vitamin A and gentle detoxifying effects, it can help lower inflammation and can give the skin a glow!

Shredding up some raw carrot and drizzling some olive oil, salt and pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon is a great side to any dish.

2. Mustard Greens

Mustard greens aren’t everyone’s favourite. They have an extremely pungent and bitter flavour to them, making them a potent gallbladder and liver stimulant. The stimulus they provide for the liver increases bile production, helping us to digest our meal better (especially fats). Mustard greens are also loaded with vitamins (C, A, E, B6) and minerals such as phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and iron. Due to their high nutrient content, liver stimulating action and antioxidants, they have quite the cleansing effect on the body.

Mustard greens are an abundant food source in the Spring. They can be mixed into any salad, such as arugula, spinach or mixed greens. They can also be lightly sautéed with some olive oil and garlic and eaten as a side dish. Incorporating these greens into your diet is a great way to keep your diet diverse and rich with nutrients.

3. Green Onions

Not only are green onions a great blast of flavour on any dish.... they're a great source of sulfur, vitamins C, B6, and  biotin, and minerals chromium and folic acid. Green onions are a rich source of flavonoids and possess many of the same benefits as garlic!

Onion has been historically used for treating bronchial spasms and asthma, something that can come about during Spring allergies. Adding some fresh and cooked onions into your dish are great for the lungs and digestive tract (and also your taste buds).

4. New Potatoes

One of my favourites. Potatoes often get a bad rep for some reason, but what many of us tend to forget (or overlook) is how great of a source of potassium they are! 1 medium size potato contains around 620 mg of potassium, which is a pretty significant amount packed into one potato. In addition, they are a great source of vitamin B6 and C, niacin and pantothenic acid. They are low in calories and are healing for the digestive tract, as they provide an important amount of fibre.

Now, it's important to acknowledge that when I refer to the healthy benefits of potatoes, I am referring to baked, steamed or roasted potatoes, not the ones deep fried in inflammatory oils that we call fries. Some of my favourite meals are a dutch oven roast with new potatoes, with fresh rosemary and thyme. Meals don't have to be complicated!

5. Rhubarb

Rhubarb is quite the interesting vegetable. It's got a red-pinkish with yellow stalk with a big leaf on top, but you will likely just find the stalks in the store. This plant is tart and rich in flavour. It's known for many famous desserts such as Rhubarb Pie or a Rhubarb Crumble. Rhubarb is part of the chard family, an abundant family in the Spring and early Summer. They are densely packed with minerals, vitamins and chlorophyl.

The Chard family of foods have been shown to be anti-cancerous foods, specifically in preventing and aiding with colon and digestive tract cancers. Now, this isn't medical advice by any means, but suffice to say that eating some rhubarb may do you some good! Rhubarb has a gentle laxative effect on the colon, helping to cleanse the colon of excess accumulation. It has sour, tart and bitter tastes which make it a great dessert to balance out any sweetness. Due to its mineral rich content and its source of dietary vitamin K, it can be beneficial for bone health. While I don't have a personal recipe to provide here (I'm not the best baker), some amazing healthy desserts can be found online that use Rhubarb. I say get creative with it!

6. Turnips

And lastly, turnips. Turnips have such a distinct pungent yet sweet flavour. They are part of the Brassicaceae family, and a resistant starch vegetable. They have very little calories but are jam packed with B vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.

Being part of the Brassica family, they provide many of the same liver support and hormonal balancing benefits. Turnips are rich in polysaccharides. These polysaccharides found in turnip have been shown to help regulate intestinal flora and maintain a healthy gastrointestinal tract. They've been shown to increase bifidobacteria and enrich populations of Lactobacillus, which are two keystone bacterias that regulate the immune system in the gut.[1]

I tend to chop up my turnips into small chunks and either bake them on a baking dish in the oven or boil them and make a turnip mash. They are a great side to any source of protein and mix well with carrots, parsnips and new potatoes!

I hope this provided some inspiration into your next meal! I always encourage my clients to keep things fresh and diverse by rotating out vegetables and fruits, and the best way to do that is to eat seasonally! Happy cooking!

References

1. Liu, L., Liu, C., Hua, H., Zhao, W., Zhu, H., Cheng, Y., Guo, Y., & Qian, H. (2022). Effect of polysaccharides from Tibetan turnip (Brassica rapa L.) on the gut microbiome after in vitro fermentation and in vivo metabolism. Food & function, 13(5), 3063–3076. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1fo03821d