Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables in Poland

Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables in Poland

Time for a little nature lesson! In spring, nature comes to life, and fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables appear on our tables. In Poland, there’s a huge selection to enjoy. We don’t need to convince you that it’s worth introducing them into your daily diet, because they’re not only a source of vitamins but they’re absolutely delicious. We’ve collected some of the most popular fruits and vegetables, and we want to highlight them for you. There’s also a tart recipe at the end!

Seasonal vegetables

What colour do you most associate with spring? Of course it’s green! That’s why different types of lettuce need to be on our plates. To keep lettuce fresh for as long as possible, it is worth making sure that it’s stored properly. After washing the leaves, you can put them between layers of paper towel and pop them in the fridge – air flow and moisture management is important here. What are the benefits of lettuce? It contains fibre and folic acid, vitamins C, E and B group, as well as iron, potassium and magnesium.

Asparagus is also green (although you can also find white and purple varieties in stores). It’s a source of vitamins A, C, E, K as well as folates and fibre. They have few calories, so everyone should include them in their diet 😉 Asparagus can be grilled, cooked (a special, tall pot will come in handy here), fried or stewed. It’s worth trying a simple recipe for grilled asparagus with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Grilling emphasises their delicate taste and gives them a slightly smoky aroma. They are beautiful with hollandaise sauce!

Also worth keeping in mind when it comes to seasonal greens are broad beans. This modest vegetable contains protein, vitamin B, carbohydrates and fibre. Did you know broad beans come from Africa? Now they’re grown all over the world! One of the easiest and tastiest ways to prepare broad beans is to steam them for a few minutes and then serve them with butter and fresh herbs. Delicious!

Seasonal fruits

In spring we can finally enjoy juicy, fragrant fruits. In the first place among the favourites are, of course, strawberries! Like broad beans, strawberries are rich in vitamin C, potassium, folic acid and fibre. These sweet morsels are perfect as a snack, an addition to desserts, cocktails or as an ingredient in homemade jams and jellies.

The recipe for a refreshing strawberry smoothie is simple: just mix strawberries with natural yogurt, lime juice and a bit of honey.

Another spring staple generally associated with being a fruit, is actually a vegetable! Of course, we’re talking about rhubarb. Despite its unique tartness, it’s got a large fan base just waiting for it to come into season. It’s rich in vitamins C, K and fibre. The simplest recipe for a rhubarb dessert is simply to cut it into pieces and then top it with a butter, flour and sugar crumble. Pop it in the oven et voila! Rhubarb crumble. Done!

Spring fruits and vegetables, such as asparagus, broad beans, strawberries and rhubarb, not only add flavour to our meals, but also provide valuable nutrients. It’s worth making the most of them while they’re in season!

In the meantime, here’s a recipe for a classic dough for tarts, which, depending on your needs, you can adjust and serve sweet (e.g. with mascarpone cream and strawberries) or savoury (with blue cheese, asparagus and béchamel sauce).

Tart recipe

The secret of a crumbly tart base is not only using high-quality ingredients, but also making sure to sift the flour with the baking powder! And a special preparation method too 😉

Ingredients:

• 250 g flour (a cup of flour)
• 15 g baking powder (about ¼ teaspoon)
• 130 g of butter (almost 2/3 of a package of butter)
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• half a teaspoon of salt (use a tablespoon of sugar if you’re making a sweet tart)
• ¼ cup of water 

Preparation steps:

1. Start by sifting the flour and baking powder through a sieve.
2. Then add cold butter (this is important because we need to form a ball of dough), salt, and oil to the flour mixture.
3. Incorporate the cold butter, salt, oil and mix them together by cutting all the ingredients in with a knife.
4. The last element is water. Knead everything until you get a smooth dough.
5. Now it’s time to relax or prepare the remaining ingredients – wrap the finished dough in cling film and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
6. Prepare a baking tin with a diameter of 26/28 cm and butter it.
7. Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out. Transfer it to the tin.
8. Now this next step is very important: prick the base all over with a fork, then cover with baking paper and sprinkle dry beans on top. This way the base will bake but won’t rise too much.
9. Put it in an oven preheated to 200^oC and bake for 15 minutes.
10. Take the base out of the oven, remove the beans and baking paper and bake for another 10 minutes.
11. Then add your favourite ingredients and continue baking (if your recipe requires it) or spread the cream and decorate with fresh fruit.

Once you’ve stocked up on asparagus and strawberries, use them to make this simple salad!

Asparagus salad recipe

Ingredients:

• Lettuce (choose your favourite type)
• Fresh spinach leaves
• Radish
• Strawberries
• Asparagus
• Smoked salmon in slices
• Feta cheese
• Balsamic vinegar
• Salt pepper

Method:

1. Start by washing all the vegetables. Dry the lettuce and spinach leaves on paper towels and place them on a plate.
2. In the meantime, put water on for the asparagus. Once it’s boiling, add the asparagus and boil for about 5-6 minutes.
3. Cut the strawberries and radishes and layer them on the leaves. Add the salmon divided into smaller pieces.
4. Arrange the asparagus on top and sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese.
5. Finally, add salt and pepper, and a few drops of balsamic vinegar. This will bring out the wonderful taste of the strawberries, and indeed the whole salad!

PS Don’t forget to invite your neighbours for a try!