It has exquisite posture.
It's head of hair is always swept in a tidy up-do.
They stand in orderly rows, as if lining up to be picked and eaten.
I'm talking about asparagus, of course, and when my kids ask me what my favorite vegetable is, I always think of asparagus first.
Our favorite and most often prepared way to eat asparagus is to simply saute a bunch in coconut oil, steam by adding a few tablespoons of water and cover until tender. Topped with a sprinkling of salt and served hot, it is divine.
Our favorite and most often prepared way to eat asparagus is to simply saute a bunch in coconut oil, steam by adding a few tablespoons of water and cover until tender. Topped with a sprinkling of salt and served hot, it is divine.
After a couple weeks of eating it in it's simplest form, I pull out our other favorite asparagus recipes: Lemon Asparagus Pasta, Cheddar and Asparagus Quiche, Asparagus Pasta with White Beans and Mint and Cheddar-Asparagus Potpie.
For lunch, I've been sauteing a few chopped spears in our small iron skillet and when it's just done, adding two fresh scrambled eggs, salt, and pepper to make a mini omelet. Laid on top of a slice of toasted bread smeared with Dijon mustard....it makes me swoon!
Lemon Asparagus Pasta ready for the oven
For lunch, I've been sauteing a few chopped spears in our small iron skillet and when it's just done, adding two fresh scrambled eggs, salt, and pepper to make a mini omelet. Laid on top of a slice of toasted bread smeared with Dijon mustard....it makes me swoon!
If we're lucky enough to have more than we can eat, I freeze some to use mid-winter in quiche- a wonderful blast of spring when it's cold outside.
What would we do without you, gorgeous spring spears?
Hi! I didn't know asparagus were perrenials. Does that mean you don't have to reseed them every year? How does that work?
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful news I have to share with you! Yes, once you plant asparagus (we ordered and planted asparagus "crowns"), they come back year after year- some beds produce for decades! It's recommended that the first year, you don't harvest, letting them build up energy all spring/summer. After that, once you stop cutting from them (after about 6 weeks), you let them grow tall and they produce beautiful delicate fronds and that produce red berries. No replanting/seeding needed:-).
DeleteWould anyone care to share how many years their asparagus bed has been producing?
This is our first Spring of harvesting the asparagus planted 2 yrs. ago (I almost required a blindfold to be able to walk past the plants without harvesting last year!). My, oh my, are they ever delicious! Even the thickest spears are tender. How did I ever buy that stuff in the grocery store?
ReplyDeleteOh, I want to grow asparagus so badly...If I'd actually done it two years ago like I planned, I'd be enjoying some right now!! My big worry is that where I live (Central Texas) is too hot and they wouldn't make it with our crazy weather...I should just plant some in the garden anyway and see how it does.
ReplyDeleteDid you start yours from seed or did you buy the crowns and start it that way?
Thank you!
Bethany
ooops, disregard my last question, I just saw you already answered it in your response to the first comment :)
ReplyDeleteI am jealous. I am dying to plant some, but we haven't settled down in one place long enough to plant any. Maybe next year...
ReplyDeleteI will now shock the world by announcing that I actually very much dislike asparagus (although i don't know why -- I love other green things!), but I will always think of them more affectionately now that I've read your description of their lovely green beehive hairdo! :) kristin
ReplyDeleteLately, the last 4 years or so we have just been roasting it. I put the cleaned asparagus into a metal 9x13 pan and drizzle with olive oil and some salt. I put in oven at 450. Not sure how long takes exactly, maybe about 12 minutes til tender-crisp and still bright green. We eat when it is ready...while it is hot and sizzling. Some squeeze lemon juice on theirs.
ReplyDeleteWe don't really like it mixed into recipes as loses too much of itself. I don't freeze any either, just the ends till I get enough for a couple batches of cream of asparagus soup in early fall when it cools off. If I have too much will share.
We have lived in our house 20 years this coming fall and it was there when we moved in.
That sounds wonderful! If I ever get to a place where I can actually get a garden in the ground, I will definitely do asparagus!
ReplyDeleteRight now I'm renting and currently doing a container garden. Although, my little mind is wondering if I could do asparagus in containers? I'll have to do some research!
I agree - I love asparagus! And I'm always going to think of it with an updo now. . . .
ReplyDelete