This Week at the Market: Spring Has Landed
Strawberries are peaking, fava beans are here, and the first Lebanese cherries are days away.
## 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.
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.