Spring Has Arrived! Here's What to Buy, How to Store It, and What to Cook
Hey, foodies.
I love September for so many reasons. The produce looks different, it's brighter, lighter and just a bit more exciting after a few months of root veggies. Spring in New Zealand brings some of the best eating of the year, and the best part is that it's also some of the cheapest.
This month I want to walk you through what's coming into season right now, why it's worth getting excited about nutritionally, how to store it so none of it goes to waste, and a few simple ideas for actually using it.
What's In Season This Spring
The mild spring conditions in New Zealand are ideal for growing asparagus, avocados, peas, spinach, radishes, and strawberries. Alongside those, leeks, silverbeet, cauliflower, and beetroot are still at their cheapest through September and October, so you're not losing the winter staples just yet, you're just gaining a lot more variety.
Strawberries: Worth the Wait
After months without locally grown berries, strawberries arriving in October feels like a celebration. A 2023 randomised controlled trial found that strawberry consumption resulted in significant increases in blood levels of both vitamin C and folate (Kishimoto et al. 2023).
Eight medium strawberries provide around 160% of your daily recommended vitamin C intake (which is more than an orange!) making them one of the best sources of vitamin C available in spring. Vitamin C supports immune function, collagen production, and helps your body absorb iron from plant-based foods (Afrin et al., 2016).
A tip is to not wash strawberries until you're ready to eat them because moisture speeds up mould. Store them in a single layer on a paper towel in an airtight container in the fridge and they'll last three to five days. If they're starting to get a little soft before you've used them all, that's your cue to blend them into a smoothie, stir them through yoghurt, or make a quick compote by simmering them with a splash of water and a little honey.
How to use them: beyond eating them straight (which is always valid), spring strawberries are incredible in salads! They work especially well with spinach, toasted nuts, feta, and a balsamic dressing. They're also great sliced over overnight oats or folded through a simple pavlova if you're cooking for a crowd in October.
Spinach and Leafy Greens
Spinach thrives in the mild spring conditions and is at its most affordable and nutritious from September through November. It's one of those vegetables that earns the "superfood" label as it contains iron, folate, vitamin K, and magnesium all in meaningful amounts (Balasubramaniam et al., 2025).
The best way to store spinach & leafy greens is to keep them dry. Excess moisture is what turns spinach slimy. Store it in a container lined with paper towel, which absorbs the moisture and keeps the leaves fresh for up to a week. The same applies to any leafy green.
Spinach wilts down significantly when cooked, so don't be shy with quantities. Add a big handful to scrambled eggs, stir it through pasta in the last minute of cooking, or build it into a grain bowl with roasted vegetables and a tahini dressing.
A Simple Way to Eat More Spring Produce
The best approach to a new season's produce is the same as any other time of year: keep it simple and cook it well. Spring vegetables don't need complicated recipes. They need good oil, seasoning, a squeeze of lemon, and a bit of cooking.
This spring, try building one meal a week around whatever is cheapest at the supermarket that week. A frittata with asparagus and spring onions. A salad with spinach and strawberries. A stir-fry with sugar snap peas and whatever protein you have. Simple, seasonal, sorted.
The Dinner Date Takeaway
Spring produce is some of the most exciting eating of the year as it is fresh, affordable, and delicious without much effort. If you want five new dinner recipes every week that make the most of what's in season, that's exactly what Dinner Date is here for. Subscribe from $5 a week and let me take the planning off your plate.
Best,
Gabrielle x
References
Kishimoto, Y., Taguchi, C., Iwashima, T., Kobayashi, T., Kikoku, Y., Nishiyama, H., Masuda, Y., & Kondo, K. (2023). Effects of acute strawberry consumption on serum levels of vitamin C and folic acid, the antioxidant potential of LDL and blood glucose response: A randomised cross-over controlled trial. Journal of Nutritional Science, 12, e39. https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2022.117
Afrin, S., Gasparrini, M., Forbes-Hernandez, T. Y., Reboredo-Rodriguez, P., Mezzetti, B., Varela-López, A., Giampieri, F., & Battino, M. (2016). Promising health benefits of the strawberry: A focus on clinical studies. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 64(22), 4435–4449. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.6b00857
Balasubramaniam, A. K., Saste, G., Kureshi, A. A., Mulay, V., & Hingorani, L. (2025). Nutritional and health beneficial properties of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L): A comprehensive review. Pharmacological Research — Natural Products, 8, 100368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100368