What did European people of the 5th century AD eat during spring and what was the availability?
Upvote:2
People have already mentioned various winter-crops and food preservation; winter was indeed a harsh time of year for many preindustrial Europeans, but unless their food stores got damaged or stolen, most self-respecting farmers knew perfectly well how to ration their food.
In a pinch, they could buy or barter from neighbors if they were short of something. Communal help was definitely a thing back then.
EDIT: This article is very long, but Medievalists is a pretty solid resource, and there's a lot of detail in what peasants would generally eat and how they'd preserve meat.
Upvote:10
In addition to preserving, there were various techniques to start the growing season very early.
Some vegetables can be planted very early and harvested within a month or two. Radishes are particularly fast growing. Also beets, onions, rutabaga, carrots, turnips, peas, rhubarb, spinach, asparagus, and leeks. They can be planted earlier if covered with insulation such as straw to protect against frost.
Some, such as carrots and turnips, are biennial plants. In the first year the leaves can be eaten, and in the second year the root can be dug up and eaten. Others, such as asparagus, are perennial and the shoots can be eaten very early.
Other root vegetables can simply be left in the ground, possibly with straw to insulate against freezing, and dug up over winter as needed.
Dried grain would be stored to feed the livestock, as well as feed people with bread and porridge.
Upvote:12
Salting, brining, smoking and fermenting were all common methods of Medieval food preservation used in autumn in preparation for the lean winter months. Note that in Northern Europe it would still be possible to fish through much of the winter, allowing for cod and herring to comprise much of the diet, particularly for coastal regions.
Many foods additionally keep well in even moderately cold temperatures, provided they are kept from freezing in a root cellar. In addition to the European root vegetables (carrots, turnip, beets, onions and others) the wide variety of European cheeses are already being developed by the monasteries and other large estates and keep well in cool conditions.
In terms of availability - whatever had been preserved the previous autumn by the household would be available.
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