Just as farmers markets begin to trickle back in our calendars and we look forward to the earliest of spring vegetables, the talented Tricia Wheeler put together a lovely class celebrating the flavors of the season. 

The vegetarian menu celebrated the best and brightest of the spring harvest thus far. The centerpiece? An enormous bag of savoy spinach freshly plucked by the farmers at Wayward Seed. Tender spinach leaves bolstered a snappy veggie saute in the second course, retaining their deep color and rich flavor throughout the sear. 

Tricia also sourced radishes, spring onions and peas from H&W Organic Farm's at the Olde Worthington indoor farmers market, which ran through last week. (The indoor market resumes on the first Saturday in May.) H&W grows a variety of vegetables in greenhouses during months of in-climate weather, including our selection. Check out the posted link to see which markets H&W Organic Farm will visit this summer and what we can expect in their harvests. 

Fresh off her return from Edible Institute, the annual Edible Communities conference in California, Publisher Tricia Wheeler hosted a cooking class all about sustainable salmon.

The fish, known for its pink hue and glowing health properties, can cause some confusion at the seafood counter. Farm-raised or fresh? Wild Alaskan? And what's a sockeye? Were these the things on "Deadliest Catch"?

With sustainability at the forefront of our purchasing and eating decisions lately, Tricia made sure to provide some tips for buying the freshest, safest and most environmentally-sound salmon on the market. She then turned that salmon into two beautiful and versatile dishes, great for family meals or dressed up for entertaining.

Here in Columbus, we benefit from close proximity to ample farmland and talented agriculturists all across the state. Our farmers markets are flush with fresh produce and handcrafted artisanal foods are not only easy to stumble upon, but even easier to become fast favorites.

There's no better way to spread the word about great, local eats than by inviting the source to an Edible Columbus cooking class to share their stories and, in this case, inundate us with as many fresh cheese varieties as possible. 

Brian Schlatter from Canal Junction Farmstead Cheese produces some of the state's finest cheese. His products have quickly become an area favorite, making appearances on pizzas, cheese plates and shelves around town - even picking up a 2012 Good Food Award for their Charloe cheese earlier this year. 

I am in love with fresh citrus. When the weather turns cold and local fruit is nowhere to be found, I place a plain brown box order with my favorite California citrus farm – Friends Ranches, friendsranches.com. I first discovered Friends Ranches when I tasted their delicious Ojai pixies in Santa Barbara during the edible national conference. Everywhere you looked were big bowls of Ojai pixies – I think I ate 20 a day! Maybe more. When I returned from California I could not stop thinking about those delicious little pixies. And when I placed my order it came with another surprise – wonderful bacon avocados. The makings of a beautiful salad!

This summer I did a cooking demo at North Market with Wayward Seed Farm. I served a pretty salad of thinly sliced watermelon radishes and baby turnips over mixed greens. I topped it with a salad dressing I whipped up that morning. The problem was I never wrote down the recipe. I cook by instinct. I taste and adjust flavors and seasoning. I rarely follow a recipe or remember what I added to make something memorable. I am the kind of cook who never makes the same meal twice.

The bounties of a winter harvest, full of hearty root vegetables and sturdy greens, can be as vast and versatile as those gathered in spring. Recently, we celebrated the flavors and colors of winter with a robust, vegetarian spread in Tricia Wheeler's winter vegetable cooking class, hosted at MI Homes in Easton Town Center. 

Though meat was left off the menu, flavor was certainly not. Dishes highlighted items prevalent in cold weather kitchens - making meals out of grains, potatoes, mushrooms, beans and roots. Tricia focused on incorporating healthful, vibrant ingredients into each dish, even in the darkest, coldest months of the year. 

While most of the featured ingredients can be found at nearby grocery stores, indoor farmers markets are available for finding locally sourced products in the off season. The Columbus Winter Farmers Market is held twice monthly at the Clintonville Women's Club, with details available here. In addition, the Worthington Farmers Market sets up inside the Griswold Center every Saturday through April for their winter series.