And so, spring is here.

Pale wintered potatoes and tired knobby beets start to give way to much needed color: electric orange baby carrots, weighed down by their massive fanning greens, bright red radishes and an array of new sprouts, shoots and roots. Basically anything we can pick that appears remotely edible goes straight into the salad bowl.

This month our case is packed with treats from across the Northeast. Some of them come from Brooklyn rooftops, some from the woods in northern Vermont and others from stretches of Amish farm country in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. And while it all looks good, sometimes it’s hard to remember what to do with it (chickweed and mustard flowers anyone?). So we polled our very talented (and hungry) staff for their favorite ways to prepare spring veg.

Michael Kale:

Grilled purple scallions with macadamia pesto

Lisa Witkowski:

I dressed pasta with asparagus, morels, and arugula in a light wine and cream sauce. I always manage to get a little asparagus and some arugula from my tiny backyard, which is a treat, especially because asparagus is so wonderful when it’s very fresh. (I secretly like it even better raw!)

Lila Dobbs:

Candied violet flowers. The little beauties came courtesy of Brooklyn Grange) in Long Island City. I brushed them with egg white and dusted with superfine sugar. Left to dry overnight, they can be stored in an airtight container for a good while. I used to them to garnish a honey-thyme ice cream with chamomile whip and rhubarb coulis. And yes, it was to impress a date but I also wont’t deny that I do stuff like this for fun.

Adam Halvorsen

Chicken salad BLT with bacon fat shishito peppers with Maldon salt and lime juice! For the blog! (sent via midnight text)