Asparagus are usually the first sign that winter is ending and fresh produce can't be far behind.
Time to grab the bag, the bowl, the box,--whatever is handy--and head for the ditch banks: the asparagus are up. The little green spears that poke their heads up one day and are ready for picking the next inspire me to get outside and get re-acquainted with the garden.
When I was little, I thought asparagus were the limp, slimy vegetable that comes in a can. I didn't care for them, not one bit. When I was in my twenties, someone served fresh asparagus, lightly steamed, a little butter. I was in heaven. Now, I sneak out to the asparagus bed as soon as the temperature hits 70-degrees, hoping to be the first to find one of the little spears and pick it and eat it right then.
Asparagus season is only a few weeks, and during that time we eat asparagus nearly every meal because we know they don't can or freeze well: we have to enjoy them while we've got them.
Eat fresh.
Eat local.
Eat organic.
Eat asparagus!
