Jon and Greg report on their haul from the local farmers market in early May: greens, beets, radishes, carrots, new potatoes, herbs, wild mushrooms, eggs, and even white asparagus, as well as bedding plants.
Jon looks for beets and radishes whose tops are also edible, in order to enjoy the satisfaction of sautéing the roots, steaming the greens, then finishing the two by sautéing them together, creating a side dish.
Greg gushes about greens such as spinach, chard, kale, bok choy, sorrel and mustard: "They all taste so great and they have such individual tastes and wonderful textures. I'm fond of early season spinach - it has broad stems, but tender ones. These big leaves make a wonderful stir fry or spinach pie or stuffing for ravioli."
More ideas for early-season market produce: stir-fried bok choy with sesame oil, chilis and oyster sauce; rainbow chard ribs sautéed separately and added to the quickly-cooked leaves, or turned into a gratin; omelettes made with duck eggs and fresh greens or mushrooms; sorrel and salmon sauce; or sorrel soup.
(Broadcast: "The Food Guys," 5/24/15 and 5/28/15. Listen weekly on the radio at 11:50 a.m. Sundays and again at 4:54 p.m. Thursdays, or via podcast.)