Spring in Windsor-Essex does not arrive all at once. It starts quietly, with longer light, softer air and the first local produce that signals the season is beginning to shift. After the heavier foods of winter, the market starts to feel brighter again: asparagus, rhubarb, greenhouse vegetables, fresh herbs, leafy greens and the early flavours that make cooking feel a little easier.
At Lee & Maria’s, spring produce is less about abundance and more about arrival. It is the first glimpse of what the growing season will become. Not everything is here yet, and that is the best part. Spring asks you to notice what is ready now.
For customers shopping at our Kingsville market, ordering online for pickup or delivery, or planning meals across Windsor-Essex, this is one of the best times of year to begin eating with the season again.
Asparagus: the spring marker
Few foods announce spring in Windsor-Essex quite like asparagus.
Local asparagus has a short, much-anticipated season, and it tends to move quickly once it arrives. It is one of those vegetables that feels best when it is kept simple: roasted with olive oil, shaved into a salad, grilled beside dinner, folded into eggs, or served with a little butter, lemon and salt.
When asparagus is fresh, it does not need much. Look for firm stalks, tight tips and a clean green colour. Thinner stalks are tender and quick-cooking, while thicker stalks can be excellent roasted or grilled.
At the market, asparagus is one of the first true signs that the local growing season is underway. If you see it, it is worth bringing home.
Rhubarb: bright, tart and unmistakably spring
Rhubarb is another early-season favourite, especially for those who like a little tartness in the kitchen. Its colour alone feels like spring: red, pink and green stalks that look almost too sharp for the quiet weeks they come from.
Most people think of rhubarb in pies, crisps, compotes and preserves, and for good reason. It works beautifully with strawberries once they arrive, but it also stands well on its own. Cooked down with sugar, orange zest or a little vanilla, rhubarb becomes a useful topping for yogurt, pancakes, toast, ice cream or simple cakes.
Rhubarb can also work in savoury ways. A small amount of rhubarb compote can pair well with pork, chicken, cheese or rich dishes that need a little brightness.
It is not an everyday ingredient for everyone, but that is part of its charm. Rhubarb belongs to a brief window. Use it while it is here.
Greenhouse vegetables from the region
One of the advantages of shopping in Windsor-Essex is the strength of the greenhouse growing region. Even before field crops are ready, local and regional greenhouse vegetables help bring freshness back into the kitchen.
In spring, that can include tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce and other greenhouse-grown items. These are the ingredients that make weekday meals feel less heavy: sliced tomatoes on toast, cucumbers for lunches, peppers for salads, lettuce for sandwiches, and simple vegetables to keep ready in the fridge.
Greenhouse vegetables are also a reminder that local eating in this region is not limited to one short outdoor season. Windsor-Essex has a growing calendar with more range than many people realize, and spring is where that range starts to show.
Fresh herbs and early greens
Spring cooking changes quickly once fresh herbs come back into the kitchen.
Chives, dill, parsley, cilantro, oregano, sage and other herbs can make simple food feel more finished without making meals complicated. Add herbs to eggs, potatoes, soups, grain bowls, salads, roasted vegetables, dressings or sandwiches. Even a small handful can change the character of a dish.
Early greens also begin to feel especially welcome in spring. Tender lettuces, pea shoots, spinach, kale or other greens bring colour and freshness after months of colder-weather cooking.
This is the season for simple combinations: greens with a light vinaigrette, herbs over roasted asparagus, chopped dill in yogurt, chives over eggs, parsley through warm potatoes, or cilantro with greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers.
What to cook in spring
Spring produce is often best when it is not overworked. The season has a lighter hand, and the cooking should follow.
Roast asparagus and serve it with eggs, chicken, fish or potatoes. Slice greenhouse tomatoes for toast or simple salads. Use cucumbers in lunches, chopped salads or alongside dips. Keep herbs washed and ready so they can be added to whatever you are already making. Cook rhubarb into a compote and keep it in the fridge for breakfast or dessert.
For easy spring meals, start with one seasonal ingredient and build around it. Asparagus can become a frittata. Rhubarb can become a crisp. Herbs can become a dressing. Greenhouse vegetables can become a salad, sandwich or quick side. The best spring meals do not need to feel elaborate. They just need to feel awake again.
Shopping for spring produce at Lee & Maria’s
At Lee & Maria’s, spring produce changes as the season develops. Some items arrive early and disappear quickly. Others become more steady as the weather warms. Availability depends on growers, harvest timing, weather and what is best at the market that week.
That is why the spring selection should be approached with a little flexibility. If asparagus looks good, plan dinner around it. If rhubarb is in, make something while the season is here. If the herbs are fresh, bring home more than one. If the greenhouse vegetables look strong, let them carry lunches and quick meals for the week.
You can shop spring produce in person at the Kingsville market, or browse what is available online for pickup and local delivery where available. The online market is especially useful if you want to plan ahead, restock the fridge, or add seasonal produce to a weekly grocery order.
Spring produce can also be part of a weekly rhythm through our subscription box, with seasonal items and market add-ons helping shape what comes home each week.
A season worth noticing
Spring in Windsor-Essex is not the biggest season at the market, but it may be one of the most satisfying. It is the beginning of the shift: from winter meals to brighter plates, from storage crops to fresh stalks and herbs, from waiting to choosing.
Asparagus, rhubarb, greenhouse vegetables, herbs and early greens all carry that feeling. They do not need much from us. A little heat, a little salt, a little care, and they remind us that the growing season is moving again.
Visit Lee & Maria’s in Kingsville to see what is in season this spring, or shop online for pickup and local delivery. The selection will keep changing, and that is exactly the point.
