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ASPARAGUS
Fresh asparagus is soooo good. If you've never tried it raw, you have to just try munching on one. It has an amazingly
crisp sweet and sometimes nutty taste. We grow mostly the ordinary green variety, but we do have some purple
asparagus too--which unfortunately turns green when you cook it. Contrary to most vegetables, asparagus is more tender,
delicious and desirable when the stalks are fatter. Thin stalks are not quite as tasty and are a sign that the plant is a bit week and you
should stop harvesting. The stalks are most tender and flavorful at the tip
and become more tough and fibrous as you get to the bottom of the stalk. When you are chopping it, you'll feel the difference with
the knife when you are chopping the fibrous parts. Discard the tough fibrous portions of the stems. My asparagus will not be the uniform length
and thickness you are used to in the store--some stems are also curved or curly from trying to come up under a thick layer of hay that I
use for mulch. But it's all delicious!
Just about the only way we eat asparagus is served up like green beans almandine (see the green beans page for a recipe). My mother use to serve it in warm milk all the time. I've tried it once, but the almandine method is just too good in comparison. |