Illustration: Melinda Beavers

Broccoli rabe
Shopping tip: The bitterness mellows with long cooking.
Best to buy: Mid-April through June
Recommended vendor and location:
Migliorelli Farm: Wed, Fri, Sat Union Square (E 17th St at Broadway); Sun Stuyvesant Town (14th St at Ave A), starts in June

Illustration: Melinda Beavers

Eggs: duck, pheasant, wild turkey, goose
Shopping tip: Chickens lay eggs year-round; not these fowl.
Best to buy: April through Mid-June
Recommended vendor and location:
Quattro’s Game Farm: Sat Union Square (E 17th St at Broadway)

Illustration: Melinda Beavers

Fiddlehead ferns
Shopping tip: Cook these to remove harmful acids and toxins.
Best to buy: Late April through Mid-May
Recommended vendor and location:
Deep Mountain Maple Syrup: Fri, Sat Union Square (E 17th St at Broadway)

Illustration: Melinda Beavers

Herbs: chives, mint, sage
Shopping tip: First come the chives—mint and sage follow.
Best to buy: May through June
Recommended vendor and location:
Stokes Farm: Wed, Fri, Sat Union Square (E 17th St at Broadway); Thu Tucker Square (W 66th St at Columbus Ave); Sat Tribeca (Greenwich St at Duane St), Tucker Square (W 66th St at Columbus Ave)

Illustration: Melinda Beavers

Leeks
Shopping tip: These fall leeks are plucked from thawing soil.
Best to buy: April through June
Recommended vendor and location:
Paffenroth Gardens: Sat Union Square (E 17th St at Broadway)

Illustration: Melinda Beavers

Lettuces
Shopping tip: Tender now, these may suffer in summer heat.
Best to buy: April through June
Recommended vendor and location:
S&SO Produce Farms: Wed Union Square (E 17th St at Broadway), Sat McCarren Park (Lorimer St at Driggs St, Greenpoint, Brooklyn), Union Square (E 17th St at Broadway)

Illustration: Melinda Beavers

Morels
Shopping tip: Availability depends on rain and humidity.
Best to buy: Late April through May
Recommended vendor and location:
Honey Hollow: Wed Union Square (E 17th St at Broadway) (starts in mid-May)

Illustration: Melinda Beavers

Nettles
Shopping tip: Once boiled, the stingers are harmless.
Best to buy: Late May through June
Recommended vendor and location:
Berried Treasures: Wed, Fri Union Square (E 17th St at Broadway); Sun 77th St (W 77th St at Columbus Ave)

Illustration: Melinda Beavers

Oysters
Shopping tip: Request product that's wild, not cultivated.
Best to buy: April through mid-May
Recommended vendor and location:
Blue Moon Fish: Wed Union Square (E 17th St at Broadway); Sat Grand Army Plaza (northwest entrance of Prospect Park, Brooklyn), Tribeca (Greenwich St at Duane St)

Illustration: Melinda Beavers

Parsnips
Shopping tip: These sweeten after a winter underground.
Best to buy: April through May
Recommended vendor and location:
Paffenroth Gardens: Sat Union Square (E 17th St at Broadway)

Illustration: Melinda Beavers

Ramps
Shopping tip: These pungent leeks grow in the wild.
Best to buy: Mid-April through mid-May
Recommended vendor and location:
Mountain Sweet Berry Farm: Wed, Sat Union Square (E 17th St at Broadway)

Illustration: Melinda Beavers

Rhubarb
Shopping tip: The leaves are toxic, the stalks are not.
Best to buy: May through June
Recommended vendor and location:
Samascott Orchards: Thu, Sun Columbia (Broadway at 115th St); Fri Union Square (E 17th St at Broadway); Sat strong>Inwood (Isham St at Seaman St)

Illustration: Melinda Beavers

Salsify
Shopping tip: Some say this root tastes like oysters.
Best to buy: April through June
Recommended vendor and location:
Paffenroth Gardens: Sat Union Square (E 17th St at Broadway)

Illustration: Melinda Beavers

Scallions
Shopping tip: Trim off the ends and use the rest.
Best to buy: Early April through June
Recommended vendor and location:
D’Attolico’s Organic Farm: Sat Union Square (E 17th St at Broadway)

Illustration: Melinda Beavers

Spinach
Shopping tip: For best flavor, sauté with a pinch of sugar.
Best to buy: April through June
Recommended vendor and location:
Maxwell’s Farm: Mon Union Square (E 17th St at Broadway), Sat Grand Army Plaza (northwest entrance of Prospect Park, Brooklyn) (starts in May)

Illustration: Melinda Beavers

Spring garlic
Shopping tip: Don’t mistake this for its scallion look-alike.
Best to buy: Mid-April through May
Recommended vendor and location:
D’Attolico’s Organic Farm: Sat Union Square (E 17th St at Broadway)

Illustration: Melinda Beavers

Sunchokes
Shopping tip: Spring’s sunchokes are the sweetest of the year.
Best to buy: April through early May
Recommended vendor and location:
Bradley Farm: Sat Grand Army Plaza (northwest entrance of Prospect Park, Brooklyn)