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April is all about spring vegetables - asparagus and artichokes are at their peak. Fresh peas are beginning to make their appearance, as well as young carrots with their fern-like carrot tops, and Fava beans are thriving.
Fresh peas are a seasonal pleasure - an assurance that spring is finally here. Each pod containing a single row of imperfectly-sized, pale green peas. Though some labor is required, shelling the peas is the best way to guarantee true freshness, and the taste is worth it. Peas are good in pastas, salads and soups.
Young carrots are very sweet and tender. You can roast them, make honey glazed or buttered baby carrots. They make a perfect side dish for any dinner and a delicious addition to a holiday meal.
Fava beans look like Lima beans, but are less starchy and have a milder taste. Fava beans are creamy, earthy, nutty, slightly sweet, and slightly bitter. They grow in green pods and can be eaten raw or cooked. They do well in soups, stews, salads, and more. They are rich in protein and fiber, and a good source of iron and manganese.
Rhubarb is a spring vegetable, one of the few that is still truly seasonal. They come into season in late March to early April and stick around until the beginning of June. Raw rhubarb is quite sour, just as mouth-puckering as lemon. Many people associate the flavor of rhubarb with strawberries because the two are often paired together. A wildly recognized way to serve rhubarb is in strawberry-rhubarb pie, because the two types of produce come into their peak seasons at the same time. The sweet berries balance rhubarb’s sourness and rhubarb-when cooks with sugar-helps gel strawberries so they don’t turn into a saucy mess when you slice the pie. Beyond dessert, there are many savory uses of rhubarb as an ingredient in chutney or used in braises like short ribs. When rhubarb is in season, chefs have a heyday turning it into all sorts of creative dishes.