Spring eats
There are three indicators that spring has arrived: Layers of pollen on cars; warming weather; and the changing menus at Charleston establishments like Park & Grove, Basic Kitchen and Welton’s Tiny Bakeshop.
With the new season comes a variety of fresh new vegetables such as leeks, asparagus, snap peas and green garlic. These lighter greens replace heartier winter produce like turnips and sweet potatoes — and chefs and farmers are excited for what’s to come.
“Now is the time when everything starts to change, which is awesome,” said Robin Hollis, executive chef of Basic Kitchen. “Because we get out of the winter where everything’s pretty much the same for a long time. So, this is the exciting part of the year, when you start getting new spring vegetables in.”
Crafting a menu
When crafting the new seasonal menu for Basic Kitchen, Hollis said she is always thinking about what’s next. It’s a never-ending project, she said, and when the seasonal produce comes around, things kick into high gear.
“We’re in contact with a lot of farmers, and once we start getting access to a lot of the spring vegetables, we can kind of project a little because a dish doesn’t happen overnight,” she said. “The wheels are just turning with, ‘What’s coming?’ or ‘What’s going to be here in a few weeks?’ ”
The goal of creating a seasonal menu is to make every year different, and because the same produce grows at the same time each year, she said, you want to avoid replicating the same exact menu or dish. To combat this, Hollis constantly researches throughout the year by going out to eat, reading cookbooks and other avenues for inspiration.
But the unpredictability of spring weather, especially in early spring, can pose challenges.
John Warren of Spade & Clover Gardens on Johns Island said he was affected by strange weather patterns of the season earlier this year. One plot of land that was growing potatoes was hit hard during a cold front, while a mile up the road, there was no sign of frost.
When this happens, it throws chefs for a loop, Hollis said.
“That takes some strategizing on the fly to be like, ‘OK, what else can I get from you to make it through this and help you make it through this interim where you can’t sell that? And then what can I do in the meantime to source this product not from you?” she said.
Though Hollis was still figuring out the spring menu when this story was being written, diners can expect to find creative takes on seasonal vegetables such as radicchio, bok choy and leafy greens like different lettuces and kale.
Another restaurant known for its seasonal switch-up is downtown’s Park & Grove, where the kitchen is helmed by executive chef Ramon Taimanglo. The spring season at Park & Grove kicked off with a local seasonal protein: the soft-shell crab. Over the course of a few weeks, the menu consisted of different dishes using soft-shell crab combined with seasonal produce like arugula, pickled onions and radishes.
Other menu items found this season are salmon cakes, which are made with seasonal and local vegetables like Sea Island red peas and a scallion vinaigrette, or yellowfin tuna tartare with marinated cucumbers and basil for a bright, fresh dinner dish.
Using produce
At another downtown establishment, co-owner Hannah Welton of Welton’s Tiny Bakeshop on upper King Street took advantage of the spring produce early. The bakeshop listed new menus March 8 with items featuring seasonal ingredients like green garlic farro sourdough bread, danishes with Wadmalaw asparagus and strawberries incorporated into several different dishes.
“That’s definitely our whole ethos behind everything we do at the bakery and with our woodfired pizza,” Welton said. “That’s just the way [my husband] Zachary and I were brought up in kitchens.”
The Weltons used to work at Charleston restaurant Husk under chef Sean Brock, who she said was a pioneer in using fresh, seasonal produce and preserving ingredients.
For Welton, green garlic is the first sign of spring and “something we can’t live without,” she said. The couple buys 20 pounds of green garlic from Spade & Clover Gardens, confits it and uses the oil for a majority of the year. Its sourdough utilizes the green garlic confit, mixed with farro from Edisto Island’s Marsh Hen Mills and a traditional sourdough recipe for a subtle garlic flavor, mixed with the nuttiness and rounded flavor of the farro.
The Danish pastries use the same sourdough starter to create a laminated croissant dough stuffed with seasonal produce.
“We always rotate [the Danishes] with seasonal fruit or jam,” she said. “Over the winter time we did apple butter, red wine or poached pears. And now, dipping into spring, we’re doing it with vanilla bean cream, fresh strawberries and strawberry marmalade.”
On the savory side, Welton’s offers a Danish stuffed with asparagus, green garlic and ricotta cheese for a balance of creamy, crunchy and a hint of garlic.
Spring favorites
Strawberries are perhaps the most commonly favored produce this season, according to Warren. The sweet scent and natural flavor of spring strawberries are favored among the masses with an entire festival in April dedicated to the fruit at Boone Hall Plantation.
“If you cut a strawberry, and it’s white in the middle, it’s basically chemically ripened,” said Hamilton Horne, owner of hydroponic King Tide Farms. “It’s the way [naturally ripened] strawberries taste that everyone loves.”
Welton, who uses some of King Tide Farm greens in the bakeshop’s offerings, agrees about the fruit’s natural flavor. “I feel we’re finally in the realm of when we have tangible strawberries that are just little gemstones, you know?” she said. “You don’t have to do anything besides just [add] powdered sugar. And it’s like the most perfect bite.”
Shop local
While taking a trip to traditional grocery stores may be easier, nothing beats shopping local and meeting the people who grow the food we eat. Here’s a list of markets in the area to buy fresh produce:
Charleston Farmers Market
Marion Square, downtown
April to Nov. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat.
Dec. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat.-Sun.
James Island Presbyterian Church Farmers Market
James Island Presbyterian Church, James Island
March to Oct. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat.
Goose Creek Farmers Market
Goose Creek City Hall, Goose Creek
Year-round 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sat.
Moncks Corner Farmers Market
418 East Main St., Moncks Corner
April to Nov. 3-7 p.m. Thurs.
Mount Pleasant Farmers Market
Farmers Market Pavilion,
Mount Pleasant
April to Sept. 3-7 p.m. Tues.
North Charleston Farmers Market
Exchange Park, North Charleston
May to Oct. 3-7 p.m. Thurs.
Sea Island Farmers Market
2024 Academy Road, Johns Island
Year-round, 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Sat.
St. Johns Farmers Market
St. John’s Grove, Johns Island
April to Oct. 3-7 p.m. Wed.
Summerville Farmers Market
Summerville Town Hall, Summerville
April to Sept. 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Sat.
West Ashley Farmers Market
Ackerman Park, West Ashley
April to Sept. 3-7 p.m.Wed.
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