Spring comes slowly every year. Days are getting longer, birds start to sing...but I truly realize the arrival of the spring, when fresh, new vegetables start to show up in the garden and on the markets!

Last year I worked a lot with asparagus, lets say I woke up and went to bed with them, so I had the time to observe every little details about them. I learned how to plant, harvest, cut, chop and keep them fresh. And also how to cook them in many different ways.

It was so beautiful to see them grow 200 mm/day in the high season! I woke up early and started to walk around to see how much they grew again. I cut them, sorted them and cut them again with an asparagus "slicer" into the right size, without the useless white part. I placed them in water and to the fridge, so they could keep up for a week, if it was needed. On a very good day, I harvested 36 kilograms. Insane.

The best asparagus "dish" I had, happened to me on the field. Sitting at sunset with a plate of freshly picked asparagus with a splash of olive oil and salt. Could not be more local, seasonal and simply delicious.

Asparagus is in season from April until June. You can freeze them, but I don't suggest, they get soggy. But you can mush them for example, or make a soup. Eat a lots of them, when they are in season, and wait for the next season!

You can eat them fresh, raw (it may sound strange but, they go very well with strawberries). You can steam them, roast them, bake them (not only rolled in bacon). You can make a delicious soup from both white and green asparagus. Souffle is also a good choice. Put them into salads (raw or grilled) or rizotto (try to add lemon peel). Roast them with peas, mint and new potatoes. Cook them with pasta, fish, throw it on the grill for 2 minutes or...what else? Just roast them with a bit of locally available fat and salt, and it is perfect! I think I never really cook the same recipe twice, so just use your fantasy and go crazy with asparagus 😀

And be happy for both kinds of asparagus. If you have more time, choose the white ones, they need to be peeled, and make a delicious and creamy soup. Do not throw away the peels, cook a clear asparagus soup from them, and freeze it, so you can use it later for a stew or sauce. If asparagus is here, winter is gone! And when asparagus season is over, you can wait for other vegetables, and 10 more months for the next asparagus season 😀

∴ even if you do not shop on a market, but in a shop or supermarket, take a look sometimes at a real farmers market for the sake of the seasons. In a supermarket you can almost always buy everything, but on a market, where people sell their own goods, you can learn about the seasons. 

And now lets talk about that kale CHIPS! It is just so good, you have to try it once!!! Wash, dry and sprinkle them with oil and a pinch of salt. Bake them on a 180 degrees for about 15 minutes. Eat them just as they are, or decorate a salad or any kind of dish with them. Delicious, easy, fast, simple, cheap...what else?!