Asparagus Season

Happy May, my locavores!

As you may know, it's asparagus season, and to celebrate, I had the pleasure of picking several pounds of sweet green stalks out at the farm last weekend (the farm is now looking for a few working members, so contact them immediately if you're interested). Asparagus makes that same delicious snap when you pick it as you may have experienced upon cleaning it. Place your hand as close to the ground as possible, break the stalk at the base, give it a rinse, and it's ready to eat.

Contrary to popular mythology, the thinner stalks are not less woody. In fact, they can be more woody if they are too immature. Any spears that are thicker than a pencil should be delicious, no matter how intimidating their girth, as long as they have not begun to branch out and go to seed. And if you're growing your own asparagus, don't pick from the same plant for longer than a few weeks. It needs the opportunity to strengthen its roots, and it can only do so by passing through its branching and seeding stages.

To wash asparagus, bend a few stalks at a time, letting them break naturally toward the bottom of the stalk, then rinse thoroughly. Just-picked asparagus can simply be rinsed and cooked, or eaten raw. Yum!

If you're not lucky enough to have garden or u-pick asparagus farm in your area, don't despair. It grows wild all over the U.S.; we've seen it from Colorado's highline canal to roadsides across Western Illinois. There's probably some growing wild near you. And if not, now's a great time to buy it at your local farmers' market (Cherry Creek just opened May 1) or grocery store.

I recently developed a new roasted asparagus recipe that knocked my socks off, thanks to the simple addition of a little bacon grease. Here it is, along with classic grilling instructions:

Asparagus Two Ways:

Roasted Asparagus

In a roasting pan, place clean asparagus in a single layer
Toss spears with a small amount of bacon grease
Drizzle with lemon juice or lemon-infused olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Roast at 400˚ for 8-10 minutes

Grilled Asparagus

Place clean asparagus in ziplock bag
Add 2-3 glugs of olive oil, two splashes of balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste
Grill judiciously (fresher asparagus should be ready more quickly)