Which Ribera vegetable is in season when? There's something almost all year round: artichokes in autumn and, above all, in spring; fresh asparagus from mid-April to June; tomate feo in summer; piquillo peppers from September to November; and cardoon, borage and cogollos (lettuce hearts) in winter. This is the calendar we use at the house to tell guests coming to Fustiñana what to order and what to buy, depending on the dates of their trip.
If you're looking for the typical dishes and where to eat in Tudela, see our Ribera food guide. Here we go month by month.
January and February: cardoon, borage and cogollos
The cold months are all about winter vegetables and hearty stews.
- Cardoon: in the Tudela market gardens it's sown around August and harvested from mid-November, so in January and February it's in full season. Red cardoon is one of the stars of Tudela's winter menus.
- Borage: in the market gardens of the Ebro valley it's harvested for much of the year, but in the Ribera it's above all a winter vegetable, one that's always on menus at this time of year.
- Cogollos de Tudela: these lettuce hearts are in season from autumn to spring. Large, with thick, firm leaves and a yellow heart. They have no IGP or DOP status, but they're very famous.
- More winter produce: cauliflower, chard, chicory and cabbage, which also come out of Tudela's market gardens in these months.
March and April: the artichoke returns
- Alcachofa de Tudela (IGP): it has two fresh seasons, a short one in autumn and a longer one in spring. With the good weather comes its big moment. The only variety covered by the IGP is the Blanca de Tudela, rounder than others and with a small opening at the top because its leaves never quite close.
- Espárrago de Navarra (IGP): the fresh season starts in mid-April. White, smooth in texture, almost stringless and with a very balanced bitterness.
- Fiestas de la Verdura: every spring, Tudela and other towns in the Ribera hold vegetable festivals with menus, tastings and vegetable competitions, peaking at the end of April and the first week of May. The dates change every year: check them on Turismo Tudela.
May and June: artichoke and asparagus at their best
It's the best time to make a proper menestra, the local vegetable stew, with everything fresh.
- Artichoke: the spring season continues, lasting until early June.
- Asparagus: it's harvested until June. After that the plant is left to grow and build up strength for the following year, so you'll only find it fresh during these weeks.
- What to order: fried artichokes, fresh asparagus and menestra.
July and August: Tudela's tomate feo
- Tomate feo: ‘ugly on the outside but with incredible flavour’, as Turismo Tudela puts it. With firm, juicy flesh, its season runs from July to September, depending on the weather.
- A date for the diary: at the end of August Tudela devotes a few days to the tomate feo, with a market, tastings and the tomato contest. Check each year's dates on Turismo Tudela.
- For the barbecue: a tomate feo salad with salt and olive oil is the best side dish for dinner in the garden.
September: pochas and the first piquillos
- Pochas: these fresh white beans are typical of Navarre and La Rioja and have a short season, at the end of summer and above all in September. As they aren't dried, out of season you'll only find them frozen or tinned.
- Pimiento del Piquillo de Lodosa (DOP): picking starts in mid-September, by hand and in several passes, roughly one a week. The designation belongs to Lodosa and seven other Ribera villages (Andosilla, Azagra, Cárcar, Lerín, Mendavia, San Adrián and Sartaguda), not to Tudela. The peppers are roasted over a flame and peeled without water: that's what gives them their toasty edge.
October, November and December: piquillo, the first artichokes and Inverdura
- Piquillo: picking continues until November.
- Autumn artichoke: the first, short season starts in late October and lasts until the hard frosts arrive, because the plant cannot cope with much cold.
- Cardoon: on the table from mid-November.
- Inverdura: Tudela holds a series of days devoted to winter vegetables, with restaurant menus, pintxo tastings and workshops for families. In recent editions it has run between the second half of November and mid-December. Check the programme on Turismo Tudela.
How to spot certified vegetables
- Fresh Tudela artichoke: sold by the dozen with the stalk or by the kilo without, with a numbered band bearing the IGP logo and the Reyno Gourmet seal. Preserved, only in glass jars with a numbered back label.
- Navarre asparagus: whether fresh or preserved, it must carry the numbered back label of the Regulatory Council.
- Piquillo de Lodosa: you will almost always find these peppers preserved, already roasted and peeled. Look for the DOP seal.
Where to eat seasonal vegetables
If you'd rather someone else did the cooking, there are three places in Tudela that we recommend to our guests:
- Restaurante Treintaitrés: a benchmark for vegetable cooking, with artichokes and menestra as its flagship dishes.
- Restaurante Remigio: a classic in the centre of Tudela, with cooking based on seasonal produce.
- El Paseo de los Poetas: traditional Navarrese and market-fresh cooking, from garden vegetables to chargrilled meats.
And for pinchos (bar snacks), head to the area around the Plaza de los Fueros and Calle Herrerías and Calle Mercadal. There are more details in our food guide.
Where to buy it
The easiest way to buy is to ask in the greengrocers and shops of Tudela and the Ribera villages what they have from local market gardens that week. Then get cooking: the kitchen at the house has everything you need, and the garden has a barbecue for grilled tomatoes and vegetables.
FAQ
When is Tudela artichoke season?
It has two fresh seasons: a short one in autumn, from late October until the first hard frosts, and a longer one in spring, which lasts until early June. Spring is its best time.
When is fresh Navarre asparagus available?
From mid-April to June. The rest of the year you will find it preserved, also with the numbered back label of the Regulatory Council.
Do Tudela lettuce hearts (cogollos) have a designation of origin?
No: they have neither IGP nor DOP status, although they are among the best-known products of the Ribera. Their natural season runs from autumn to spring.
When is the best time to eat vegetables in Tudela?
Spring, when the artichoke, the asparagus and the Fiestas de la Verdura all coincide. But autumn and winter, with piquillo peppers, cardoon, borage and Inverdura, have plenty to offer and fewer crowds. If you are coming in spring, you will find more ideas in our 3-day break in the Ribera.
Pick your month, come hungry and let the market garden decide the menu. Get a quote for your break in Fustiñana.