As the weather warms up, the daffodils bloom, and daylight starts to linger into evening, home cooks in New England are thrilled to put away their hearty winter recipes and set their sights on the bright, fresh tastes of spring. During those first few visits to the farmers’ market, cooks want to buy everything they see, fill their baskets to the brim, and bring their bounty home to get cooking.

Farmers share that springtime excitement as well.

Interior of Woods Hill Table in West Concord, Mass.

“We look forward to watching the snow melt and getting our hands into the soil again,” says Kristin Canty, owner of the Farm at Woods Hill in Bath, N.H. “We also look forward to having baby lambs, chicks, ducklings, and piglets on the farm.”

The Farm at Woods Hill supplies many of the seasonal ingredients and grass-fed livestock featured on the menu at Canty’s restaurant, Woods Hill Table in West Concord. The pasture-to-plate restaurant works closely with farmers throughout New England. “Our chef, Charlie Foster, can’t wait to start receiving the first vegetables from the farms,” Canty says.

If you enjoy the foods of spring, you’re probably itching to start cooking with some of the season’s freshest harvest: Green garlic, beets, sorrel, Spanish onions, leeks, spinach, peas, and rhubarb, to name just a few. One of the best things about spring produce is that it can be meal-ready in a flash. No long hours of braising or stewing for these tender young ingredients.

Using the following recipes, which are provided by Woods Hill Table, you can make the most of spring produce. Try tossing a roasted spring beet salad, grilling broccoli for a tasty appetizer, or simmering green garlic and Spanish onions with young potatoes for a quick soup. With each bite, you’ll savor the flavor of spring.

A new season for appliances, too

In addition to offering an opportunity to lighten your menu, spring is a great time to update your kitchen appliances. If you have an older range, you’ll be surprised at what the newest crop of stovetops and ovens can do. Today’s ranges make it more enjoyable than ever to cook your family’s favorite spring foods. And state-of-the art smart connectivity features provide a whole new level of ease for cooks who have lots of things on their to-do list besides cooking dinner.

For example, LG Electronics has designed ranges that use its own SmartThinQ technology to make cooking more convenient. With the LG SmartThinQ app, you can use your smartphone to control your oven from anywhere—which means you don’t have to be in the kitchen to turn your oven on or off or to see when dinner will be ready.

LG ranges also offer features that ensure your recipes turn out well each time you make them. LG ProBake Convection, which is inspired by professional ranges, has a heating element positioned on the back wall rather than the bottom of the oven for optimal heat distribution. And LG’s Infrared Heating System provides the seared flavor of an outdoor grill without leaving the kitchen—great for those infamous New England spring days that feel more like December than May.

For homeowners who are as interested in green technology as they are in green vegetables, LG offers energy-efficient features. On stovetops, SmoothTouch glass controls and induction technology focus heat towards the bottom of the cookware only, guaranteeing quick and even heating as well as energy savings.

Best of all, LG offers reliability. LG has received more J.D. Power Awards for kitchen appliances than any other manufacturer and was rated highest in customer satisfaction for freestanding ranges.

So, now that winter is (hopefully) in the rearview mirror for a while, it’s time to take your cooking in a fresh direction. Forget about winter squash and rutabagas. Head off to the farmers’ market, pull out your favorite springtime recipes, and get cooking!

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