Chow Line: Now is a good time for strawberries, asparagus, other in-season produce

Which fruits and vegetables are in season in the spring?

Rain and bright sunny days make spring a good time to indulge in a wide range of plentiful produce such as asparagus, cabbage, kale, spinach, and strawberries. Not only are these items extremely fresh and flavorful because they’re currently in season, but they’re also widely discounted because of the abundance of supply based on this time of year.

For example, the top advertised items on sale in local grocery stores this week were fruits, comprising 48% of all ads, and vegetables, accounting for 41% of all supermarket sale ads, according to the April 5 edition of the National Retail Report, a weekly roundup of advertised retail pricing information compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

While this is not an all-inclusive list, generally speaking, the following produce (among others) is in season in Ohio during the spring, according to the Ohio Farm Bureau:

• Asparagus
• Cabbage
• Collard greens
• Kale
• Mustard greens
• Radishes
• Rhubarb
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Turnip greens

While eating fruits and vegetables is an important part of a healthy diet, it’s also important to remember to incorporate food safety when preparing and eating them. This is because some raw fruits and vegetables can contain foodborne pathogens such as E. coli, listeria, and salmonella, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As such, nearly half of all foodborne diseases are caused by germs on fresh produce, the CDC says.

While cooking produce is one of the best ways to lessen the potential for developing a foodborne illness, here are some other tips from the CDC to keep in mind when choosing and consuming raw fruits and vegetables:

• Always choose produce that isn’t bruised or damaged.
• When shopping, choose pre-cut fruits and vegetables that are refrigerated or are kept on ice.
• Keep fruits and vegetables separated from raw meat, poultry, and seafood in your shopping cart and in your grocery bags.
• Wash or scrub fruits and vegetables under running water, even if you do not plan to eat the peel, so that dirt and germs on the surface do not get inside during slicing. 
• Cut away any damaged or bruised areas before preparing or eating.
• Refrigerate within two hours any fruits and vegetables that you have cut. Store them in a clean container at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder.
• Store fruits and vegetables away from, and not next to or below, raw meat, poultry, and seafood. These items can drip juices that might contain germs.
• Use a separate cutting board for fruits and vegetables than what is used for cutting or preparing raw meats, poultry, or seafood.
• Wash cutting boards, counter tops, and utensils with hot, soapy water before and after preparing fruits and vegetables.

Chow Line is a service of The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and its outreach and research arms, Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. Send questions to Chow Line, c/o Tracy Turner, 364 W. Lane Ave., Suite B120, Columbus, OH 43201, or turner.490@osu.edu.

Editor: This column was reviewed by Shari Gallup, educator, family and consumer sciences, OSU Extension.