Strawberries Are Really Here

Strawberries are really here, organic and conventionally grown alike: Early varieties like Puget Reliance, Seascape, Shuksan, and Honeye are in good supply. Raspberries are still restricted to pricey fruit from the Okanogan; Bing and Chelan cherries are starting to arrive from the Tri-Cities; the earliest Rainiers (from Mattawa) are just putting in an appearance. Fruit surprise of the week: Goldbar apricots from Kennewick.

Hot-weather veggies are starting to show up, too: all kinds of eggplant (baby purple, striped magenta, teardrops) and sweet bell peppers (green, lilac and ivory).

VEGGIE OF THE WEEK

It has to be the fava bean. To begin with, favas aren't really beans, though they're shaped like beans and come in a pod: They're the seeds of a member of the vetch family, most of which are grown for animal rather than human consumption. But favas have a number of big advantages over bush and runner beans: They're winter hardy, so you can be picking your crop of favas before you even plant your bush beans; they're about 30 percent protein, rivaling soybeans in that department; and, unlike soybeans, they're delicious, with a strangely fragrant flavor that, even more than that of baby peas, seems like the very essence of spring. Give 'em a try while they're young, green, and luscious. You can find fresh fava recipes in any good Italian cookbook.

food@seattleweekly.com