[Photograph: xerones on flikr]

Figs are now in season—so hurry up and grab some because this small window of opportunity is closing a little everyday. How can you resist? Their soft, chewy skin gives way to their beautiful pink innards of microscopic seeds and sweet juicy pulp. But handle with care, because these little beauties are just as delicate as they sound. Keep them refrigerated and safe from possible bruising, and make sure to eat them within a few days of buying them.

You can eat 'em fresh for a healthy snack, poach them in wine, or make a pizza with them. The possibilities are endless. Here are a few great fig recipes we recommend trying out this season.

Fig Recipes

Clay-Pot Ginger Pork with Figs and Pickled Fennel
Fig, Taleggio, and Radicchio Pizza
Fig, Goat Cheese, And Caramelized Onion Sandwiches
Sauced Figs: A Way To Use Old Wine
Roasted Fig Cocktail
Fresh Fig Ice Cream

How do you like to use figs?

[Flickr: srqpix]

Eggplant, aubergine, whatever you want to call it—we're just happy that this tasty veggie is season. It's incredibly versatile, delicious grilled, roasted, sauteed, or pureed; it's hearty enough to bulk up a plate, yet just as delicious in a light salad. Eggplants are great for soaking up flavor in any dish, but at their peak, are perhaps best enjoyed simply, maybe grilled with a dash of salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

To celebrate, here are some recipes to try starring the eggplant.

Recipes

Charred Eggplant and Tomatoes with Harissa and Mint
Vegetable Terrine
Anellini alla Pecorara
Soba Noodles with Eggplant and Mango
Roasted Eggplant Salad with Saffron Yogurt
Vegetable Terrine
Lentil and Eggplant Chili Mole
All-American Eggplant Parmesan
Roasted Tomato and Eggplant Soup
Sichuan Style Braised Eggplant
Baba Ghanoush

Cherry tomatoes at a farmer's market in San Francisco. [Photograph: Jen Maiser]

Nothing compares to an in-season tomato, picked at the height of summer. And while we may be getting a little ahead of ourselves, we have tomato season seriously on the brain.

Tomatoes come in as many shapes, colors, and varieties as you can think of. Each has its own particular character and flavor, with varying levels of sweetness and acidity. Heirloom tomatoes, which have been growing in popularity in recent years, come in a rainbow of colors with wacky names like Box Car Willie, Aunt Ruby's German Green and Banana Legs.

So whether yours are red, yellow, green, orange or purple, be sure not to miss out on tomatoes while they're in season. (And check out the recipes below for ideas on how to use them!)

Recipes

• The TMT: Tomato, Mayo, and Toast
• Tomato Frittata
• Yellow Tomato Salad with Roasted Red Pepper, Feta, and Mint
• Pasta With Corn, Tomato, And Asparagus
• Spaghetti All'Aglio E Olio With Marinated Summer Vegetables
• The Silver Palate's Tomato, Montrachet, and Basil Salad
• Sunday Supper: Grilled Lobster Tails with Warm Farro, Roasted Corn and Tomato Salad
• Dinner Tonight: Tomato and Mozzarella Salad with Microgreens
• Cook the Book: Grilled Cilantro Chicken with Pickled Tomato and Avocado Salsa

Radishes at the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market, San Francisco [Photograph: Jennifer Maiser]

You may be accustomed to red radishes, but at some farmers' markets, you'll see white, purple, pink, and even black in addition to the red ones. Once they are dug up, these root vegetables are perfect for adding a peppery bite to a salad, fancying up your bread and butter, or even roasting. And if you're using them, don't forget that you can eat the raw radish greens as well.

Recipes

Radish and Yogurt Chutney
Healthy and Delicious Green Bean and Radish Salad
Scallion, Radish, and Cucumber Salad with Cashews and Vermicelli
Huaraches with Black Beans and Radish
Honey Mustard Chicken Legs with Radish Side Salad
Radish Salad
Chipotle Shrimp Tostadas with Radish
Quick Kimchi with Daikon Radish

How do you use radishes?

Shelled Fava Beans. [Photograph: Pachango]

Fava beans, a traditional harbinger of warmer weather, are cropping up at farmers markets across the country. Until recently, these native North African beans were not all that easy to find in supermarkets. Luckily, if you're not able to grab a bunch of fava beans at your local farmers' market, you can now find them in almost every grocery store.

The pale flat seeds of fava beans, while difficult to extract from their pods, are buttery and a bit nutty once cooked. They are versatile and delicious. Here are a few recipes for you to experience them at their best.

Recipes

Scallops with Corn and Fava Bean Succotash
Fava Beans with Dill Butter
Spaghetti with Pistachio Pistou, Fava Beans, and Mint"
Fava Beans with Grilled Zucchini and Garlicky Croutons
Egg Noodles with Fava Beans, Leeks, and Morels
Linguine with Fava Beans, Garlic, Tomato, and Bread Crumbs
Genovese Minestrone
Fava Bean, Asparagus, and Green Bean Salad

What's your favorite way to eat fava beans?

[Photo: Robyn Lee]

Seeing beautiful strawberries in the market is a sure sign of summer. When searching for strawberries, look for those that are firm, with a deep red color and bright green stems. (Nothing worse than biting into a strawberry only to find a bitter, white center!) Look for ones that are loosely packaged, too; overcrowding can lead to bruising.

Strawberry edibles that first come to mind are jams and tarts, or simply whole berries; but this fruit is pretty versatile. Consider more savory options, too.

Recipes

Strawberry Risotto
Strawberry Balsamic Thyme Jam
Strawberry Vanilla Agua Fresca
Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Tea
Strawberry Campari Tart
Stupendous Strawberry Shake
Strawberry, Dandelion, and Balsamic Onion Salad
Strawberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Strawberry Bavarian
Strawberry and Ricotta Tart

How do you like to eat summer strawberries?

[Flickr: Murugananth C]

Ancient Greeks rubbed mint on their tables as a sign of hospitality and mint tea has long been served in the Middle East to welcome guests. For me, the small, bright green leaves of the mint plant welcome warm weather and a new season of cooking. Full of cooling menthol, mint is the perfect refreshing herb to accompany simply grilled meats and vegetables. Of course, mint is more than a garnish: it has vitamins A and C as well as trace minerals. This aromatic herb has been shown to sooth the stomach and ease breathing.

When buying mint, look for leaves that don't have bruised or brown spots. To store fresh mint, wrap it in a lightly damp paper towel and seal it in a ziplock bag. It will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.

Recipes

Tortellini with Yogurt, Mint, and Smoked Paprika Oil
Provençal Calamari Salad with Tarragon and Mint
Sardines with Lemon and Mint Salsa
Pea Tortilla with Mint and Yogurt
Grilled Artichokes with Mint and Chilies
Pineapple Mint Agua Fresca
Mint Meltaways
Marvelous Mint Ice Cream

What's your favorite way to use mint?

[Photograph: WhitneyinChicago]

With spring comes the welcome return of rhubarb. Though often prepared as a dessert, it's an unexpected, and pleasant, addition to savory dishes as well. When using rhubarb, be careful of the leaves on top; they contain toxic substances, but you'll find most stores usually remove them before they're sold. Try to find long, firm stalks to ensure freshness.

Recipes

Ruirita
Rhubarb Purees
Rhubarb Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
Peanut butter and Rhubarb Jelly Sandwich
Rhubarb Cream Cheese Pie with Strawberries
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Rhubarb Sauce
Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler
Pork Tenderloin with Rhubarb, Pear Rosemary and Honey
Rhubarb Clafoutis

How do you use rhubarb?

[Photographs: Robyn Lee]

While they freeze better than many vegetables, green peas are definitely at their best in the spring when they can be pulled straight from the pod. Fresh peas have a crisp texture and a bright, sweet flavor. And don't forget the pea tendrils: the thin, young shoots from the pea plant are crisp, earthy and especially good when sauteed.

The popularity of peas dates backs thousands of years. Originally found in the Middle East, peas are now popular across the globe in dishes such as Aloo Matar, an Indian dish of curried potatoes with peas, to the infamous British dish Mushy Peas. Even Thomas Jefferson knew how good peas were: he grew no less than thirty varieties on his Virginia estate.

When you're choosing your peas, remember this: Green peas know the benefits of a good snuggle. The best tasting pods will be vibrant green in color and full of peas with little empty space. Shake the peas gently. If you hear any rattling, try the next pod.

Recipes

Pasta with Sweet Pea Pistou and Chèvre
Grouper with Peas and Saffron (Mero en Amarillo)
Chicken and Rice Salad with Mint Pesto and Peas
Herb Spätzle with Speck and Peas
Shaved Asparagus, Pea, and Prosciutto Salad
Scallops with Pea Puree and Vermouth Sauce
Double Pea Pasta with Salmon
Dry Cooked Cabbage with Tofu and Peas

[Flickr: Estaban Cavrico]

There's a lot to love about asparagus, from their cheery green color to that great little snap they make—but perhaps best of all is that they announce the arrival of spring. In peak season April through June, the slender stalks are time-consuming to grow—plants need at least a year from seed to harvest—and once picked, they're best eaten as soon as possible. But even though asparagus may be labor-intensive to grow, they're great for a quick meal.

Recipes

Roast Asparagus with Long Pepper Gremolata
Asparagus Shandong-Style
Asparagus with Créme Fraiche Mustard Sauce and Prosciutto
Asparagus Bacon Buttered Toast Sandwich
Shaved Asparagus, Pea and Prosciutto Salad
Grilled Asparagus Panzanella
Asparagus Soup with Herb Gremolata
Asparagus with Bacon- Hazelnut Vinaigrette and Slow Cooked Egg
Asparagus Soup with Egg on Toast
Asparagus and Mushroom Tart

How do you like to eat asparagus?

[Photo: Jenny Lee-Adrian]

On Sunday mornings when I wake up early enough, I make pancakes from scratch and pour real maple syrup all over them—the deeply sweet syrup just doesn't compare to the imitation stuff. The golden syrup is available all year, but new syrup is harvested in late February and March. Expect to see freshly bottled maple syrup at farmers' markets.

Canada produces most of the maple syrup in the world; in the United States, Vermont is the largest producer and New York is the second. Sap is collected from maple trees and boiled down to make syrup. Besides drowning pancakes with it, use maple syrup as a marinade for fish or meat or as a sweetener in desserts.

Recipes

• Light And Fluffy Pancakes
• Easy Pumpkin-Maple Breakfast Souffles
• Maple And Soy-Glaced Salmon With Garlic And Ginger
• Vermont Maple Cookies
• Maple-Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Maple Baby-Back Ribs
• Maple Black Pepper Pork Chops
• Maple Syrup Caramels
• Acorn Squash Soup With Brown Butter and Maple Yogurt
• Maple Bacon Shake

What are your favorite ways to use maple syrup?

[Photo: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

Raw, fried, baked, stuffed or made into a sandwich, oysters are always satisfying. The bivalves are available all year, but they're best eaten in the colder months from September to April. While a long-standing myth says oysters should not be eaten during months that do not contain an "R" (May through August), oysters generally are thin in the summer because they devote their energy to reproducing.

When buying oysters, avoid ones that are open or don't close right away after you lightly tap them on a surface. That means the oysters are dead. Make sure live oysters smell like the sea (or whatever body of water they were harvested from). If you don't know how to shuck an oyster, check out Kenji's video on the topic.

Recipes

• Sunday Brunch: Fried Oysters and Lemon and Balsamic Vinegar
• Baked Oysters With Fresh Thyme and Sweet Garlic Butter
• Dinner Tonight: The Best Oyster Po' Boy Outside of New Orleans
• Oyster and Sausage Stuffing
• Gourmet's Smoked-Oyster Sticky Rice Stuffing in Lotus Leaf

What's your favorite way to eat oysters?

[Photo: Jen Maiser]

While much of the country won't see artichokes at farmers' markets for awhile, California residents are lucky to have the pine-cone shaped perennials in season now. Artichokes are available all year on the West Coast, but they peak from March to May and again in October. Originating in the Mediterranean, an overwhelming majority of artichokes grown in the United States are from California. The plants are actually the buds of thistles, which are in the sunflower family.

One way to eat artichokes is to pull off petals one by one, slip the tender ends in sauce or butter and scrape at the soft mass of the leaves with your teeth. Take out the choke (the fuzzy fronds) with a melon baller or spoon and finish off the artichoke heart. Try artichokes cold or hot, boiled or braised.

Recipes

• How to Trim an Artichoke
• Braised Artichoke With Parsley and Fried Capers
• Cook The Book: Lamb Ragu With Artichokes, Oven-Roasted Tomatoes, and Basil
• Mediterranean Flavors: Spinach and Artichoke Dip
• Dinner Tonight: Alton Brown's Baked Oysters With Artichoke and Panko Crumbs
• Artichokes With Lemon Butter
• French In A Flash: Red Pepper Caviar In Chilled Artichokes

What's your favorite way to eat artichokes?

[Photo: Robyn Lee]

Peel off the loose skin of a mandarin orange and you have a perfectly portioned snack. I love eating mandarin oranges when I'm alone in my apartment; long after I've eaten the segments, I can still sniff the orange on my fingertips.

Peak season for mandarin oranges is from early winter to early spring. They are smaller than regular oranges and are easier to peel; even in early March, grocery stores have stacks of clementines in crates, or piles of the bagged fruit.

Satsumas, clementines, and tangerines are all varieties of mandarin oranges, along with satsumas, according to Purdue University. Mandarin oranges that have more of a red-orange color are marketed as tangerines. Tangelos are a cross between a grapefruit and a tangerine. Use the small oranges in salads, cakes, and drinks.

Recipes

Cook The Book: Mandarin Sorbet
Clementine Pound Cake [SavvyJulie via food52.com]
Wake-Up Call: Blood Orange Citrus Cooler
Deborah Madison's Tangelo-Tangerine Pudding
Cook The Book: Easy Ambrosia

How do you eat mandarin oranges?

[Photo from .m.e.c. on Flickr]

Meyer lemons combine the best attributes of lemons and oranges in a tart citrus fruit that doesn't make your face pucker. Peak season for these lemons begins in November and runs through March. Meyer lemons are thought to be a cross between a conventional lemon and a mandarin orange.

The fruit is named after agricultural explorer Frank N. Meyer who worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the early 1900s and brought the fruit back from China. They are sweeter than regular lemons, and have a thin rind that's edible. Meyer lemons yield more juice. Try using the fruit in desserts and dressings.

Recipes

• The Crisper Whisperer: Grapefruit-Vanilla Curd
• Deborah Madison's Two Summer Rhubarb Purees
• Meyer Lemon and Blood Orange Marmalade [New York Times]
• Meyer Lemon Shaker Pie [The Kitchn]

Feel free to use Meyer lemons instead of regular lemons in these recipes:

• David Lebovitz's Super-Lemony Souffles
• Dinner Tonight: Salmon With Citrus Dressing

How do you use Meyer lemons?