What’s New at the Farmers Market This Week: Memorial Day Edition

Memorial Day weekend marks the real start of farmers market season in Portland. The stalls fill with greens that won’t last past June, spring onions still tender enough to eat raw, and the first strawberries that taste like the season they came from. You plan your week around what shows up.

This is the week to cook what’s actually here. The asparagus that snaps clean. The peas you shell on the walk home. The lettuce that wilts by Wednesday if you don’t use it. None of it waits.

Tender Greens: Cook Them Fast or Not at All

Spring greens don’t need much. Arugula, spinach, baby kale, mustard greens — they’re best barely touched. A hot pan, a minute or two, salt. That’s the play.

For arugula or spinach, heat a wide skillet until a drop of water skitters across it. Add a teaspoon of olive oil and a handful of greens. Stir once. Count to thirty. Finish with flaky salt and a squeeze of lemon. The greens should still have body, not melt into the pan.

If you want more flavor without more time, bloom spices first. Heat the oil, add a pinch of Cumin Seeds or Coriander Seeds, let them crackle for ten seconds, then add the greens. The spice clings to the leaves. You taste it in every bite.

For mustard greens or mature kale, add a smashed garlic clove to the oil before the greens go in. The garlic softens the bitterness without covering it. If you like heat, a pinch of Aleppo Pepper after the greens wilt keeps the dish from feeling too virtuous.

Asparagus: Roast It or Shave It

Asparagus is only good for about three more weeks. After that, the stalks get woody and you’re better off waiting until next year. Right now, the spears are thin enough to snap without a knife.

The fastest method: snap off the tough ends, toss the spears in olive oil and salt, roast at 425°F for 10 minutes. They should char at the tips and stay crisp in the middle. Finish with Lemon Pepper or a small handful of Sumac. Both wake up the flavor without burying it.

If the spears are pencil-thin, skip the oven. Shave them raw with a vegetable peeler into long ribbons. Toss with olive oil, lemon juice, and shaved Parmesan. The asparagus stays sweet and grassy. Add a crack of Tellicherry Black Peppercorn and you have a side dish that takes three minutes.

Spring Onions and New Garlic

Spring onions are mild enough to eat raw, which means you should. Slice them thin, toss them into grain salads, or layer them on toast with butter and flaky salt. The green tops are tender now — use them like chives.

New garlic (also called green garlic or spring garlic) is the same story. The cloves haven’t dried out yet, so the flavor is softer, almost sweet. You can use more of it than you’d use regular garlic without overwhelming the dish.

To use spring onions or new garlic in a quick sauté: slice them on the bias, cook them in butter or oil over medium heat until they soften, then add whatever else you’re cooking — greens, peas, sliced radishes. The onions sweeten as they cook but keep their bite.

If you want to stretch the flavor further, finish the pan with Fennel Seeds or Nigella Seeds. Both pair well with the mild sweetness of spring alliums without turning the dish into something fussy.

Peas: Shell Them, Blanch Them, Don’t Overcook Them

Fresh peas are only worth buying for about two weeks. After that, the sugars turn to starch and you’re better off using frozen. Right now, they’re sweet enough to eat raw.

If you’re cooking them, keep it simple. Blanch shelled peas in boiling salted water for 90 seconds. Drain, toss with butter, salt, and a small handful of torn mint or Basil. That’s it. Overcooked peas taste like nothing.

For snap peas or sugar snap peas, trim the ends and toss them raw into salads, or give them 60 seconds in a hot pan with oil and salt. They should stay crisp and bright green. Finish with a pinch of Lemon Salt or Herb Infused Salt. Both bring out the sweetness without masking it.

Radishes: Roast Them or Pickle Them

Raw radishes are good, but roasted radishes are better. Cut them in half, toss with olive oil and salt, roast at 400°F for 20 minutes. The heat softens the bite and brings out a mild sweetness you don’t get raw. Finish with flaky salt and a drizzle of good olive oil.

If you want to add spice, toss the radishes with Za’atar or Dukkah Spice Blend before roasting. The sesame and herbs in both blends cling to the radishes as they caramelize.

For quick pickles: slice radishes thin, pack them in a jar, cover with equal parts vinegar and water, add a teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of salt. They’re ready in an hour. Add a few Coriander Seeds or a dried chile to the brine if you want more flavor.

Strawberries: Eat Them or Macerate Them

The first local strawberries show up this week. They’re smaller and darker than the grocery store kind, and they taste like actual strawberries. Don’t cook them. Don’t bake them. Just eat them.

If you want to do something with them, macerate them. Hull the berries, slice them, toss with a teaspoon of sugar and a small pinch of salt. Let them sit for 20 minutes. The sugar draws out the juice and the salt makes the flavor sharper. Serve them over yogurt, ice cream, or pound cake.

For a less sweet option, skip the sugar and toss the sliced berries with a tiny pinch of Tellicherry Black Peppercorn and a few torn basil leaves. The pepper cuts the sweetness and the basil makes the berries taste more like themselves.

What to Do with Everything at Once

If you bought too much (you probably did), make a big bowl of whatever’s wilting first. Here’s the formula: cook a grain (farro, quinoa, rice), add raw or barely cooked vegetables, toss with olive oil and lemon juice, finish with cheese or nuts and a handful of fresh herbs.

The vegetables can be anything. Shaved asparagus, blanched peas, roasted radishes, raw spring onions, torn greens. The grain holds everything together. The acid and fat make it taste finished.

For spice, bloom Cumin Seeds or Coriander Seeds in olive oil and drizzle it over the bowl. Or toss the whole thing with Za’atar, Sumac, or Dukkah. Any of those blends will tie the flavors together without turning the bowl into a specific cuisine.

Storage Tips for Spring Produce

Spring vegetables don’t keep. Greens wilt in three days. Asparagus gets slimy. Peas lose their sweetness overnight. The rule is: buy what you’ll cook in the next two days, then go back for more.

If you need to stretch things, here’s what works. Store greens in a damp paper towel inside a sealed bag. Stand asparagus upright in a jar with an inch of water, cover the tops loosely with a bag, keep it in the fridge. Shell peas the day you buy them and store the peas (not the pods) in a sealed container. Spring onions and radishes keep longer if you trim the greens off and store the bulbs separately.

For herbs, treat them like flowers. Trim the stems, stand them in water, cover loosely with a bag, keep them on the counter (basil, cilantro) or in the fridge (parsley, dill). They’ll last a week if you change the water every couple of days.

What’s the difference between spring onions and scallions?

Spring onions have a small bulb at the base. Scallions are harvested before the bulb forms. Spring onions taste slightly sweeter and have more body when cooked. Scallions are milder and work better raw. You can use them interchangeably in most recipes.

How do you know if asparagus is too old to buy?

Look at the tips. If they’re tight and compact, the asparagus is fresh. If the tips are loose, dry, or starting to flower, the stalks are past their peak. Thick stalks aren’t bad, they just need to be peeled before cooking. Thin stalks are more tender but cook faster.

Can you freeze fresh peas?

Yes. Blanch shelled peas in boiling water for 90 seconds, drain, spread on a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. They’ll keep for six months. Frozen peas are better than fresh peas that have been sitting in the fridge for more than two days.

What spices work best with spring vegetables?

Lighter spices. Coriander Seeds, Fennel Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Sumac, Aleppo Pepper. Avoid heavy blends or anything with too much heat. Spring vegetables are mild, so the spice should support the flavor, not cover it.

How do you store fresh herbs so they don’t wilt overnight?

Trim the stems, stand them in a jar with an inch of water, cover the tops loosely with a plastic bag. Basil and cilantro stay on the counter. Parsley, dill, and mint go in the fridge. Change the water every two days. They’ll keep for a week, sometimes longer.