هذا الأسبوع في السوق: الربيع وصل

## The Rundown

Spring is no longer coming — it's here, and the market feels it. Stalls are shifting from root vegetables and citrus to the bright, tender produce that makes this the best eating season in Lebanon.

## What's Peaking

### Strawberries
Lebanon's coastal strawberries are at absolute peak right now. Look for deep red color all the way through — no white shoulders. The small, irregular ones from Byblos-area farms have the most flavor. Eat them the day you buy them.

### Fava Beans
Fresh fava beans just arrived from the Bekaa. Young pods are tender enough to eat raw with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil — the classic Lebanese fool akhdar snack. Larger pods need shelling and a quick blanch.

### Spring Onions and Radishes
Bundles of sharp spring onions and pink radishes are everywhere. Both are at their sweetest right now, before summer heat makes them bitter. Perfect with a bowl of labneh.

## What's Coming

• Cherries: The first batches from Mount Lebanon should arrive within the week. Early-season cherries are tart — ideal for preserves.
• Loquats (Akadenia): Golden loquats are just starting. Short season — move fast.
• Akkoub: The last of the spring akkoub harvest is winding down. If you haven't tried it yet this year, this is your final call.

## What's Leaving

Say goodbye to blood oranges and mandarins — citrus season is wrapping up. Valencia oranges will hang around for juicing through May, but the sweet eating varieties are done.

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Updated weekly. This is your cheat sheet for eating well in Lebanon.