Oh my! Spring produce is here!

[ToLiveToLaugh]

So I went to the co-op last night. There are strawberries, asparagus, artichokes, nettles, all sorts of fantastic spring greens! Having been a picky, spoiled little eater as a child I never got used to many green type things. I've recently been trying to fix this, but it's been a battle.

The strawberries I've been eating straight so far, because goodness, they're strawberries. The artichokes I boiled til the bottom leaves pulled off easily, then ate with mayonnaise. The nettles I boiled, and SO drained the water not realizing it was nettle tea Then he just ate the leaves as they were. I tried one, but it was fairly bland and floppy. I have no danged idea what to do with the asparagus.

So I ask you- what are your favorite early spring recipes?

 

[lupinfarm]

We BBQ the asparagus...

 

[noobiechickenlady]

Mmmm, strawberries.

Okay, lupin you mean just like a piece of chicken, with bbq sauce? Interesting...

I like asparagus sauted in a little butter, garlic, salt, pepper. Not too long, just until its crunchy tender.

Steam your nettles, or boil them til they are just tender, then stirfry with a little egg & seasonings (I like crushed red pepper and the standards, garlic, salt & pepper).

We've barely got plant starts at our "farmer's market"...

 

[Dace]

I love roasted asparagus.....well, I love roasted anything!



http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roasted_asparagus/

Roasted Asparagus

Have you ever had roasted asparagus turn out tough and stringy? Here's a tip from my friend Alanna: use the fat spears, not the skinny ones, for roasting. This is a quick and easy recipe for beautifully roasted, tender asparagus.


Roasted Asparagus Recipe
In place of the lemon juice, you can drizzle a little balsamic vinegar over the asparagus. Add a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese for an extra touch.
INGREDIENTS
1 lb asparagus spears (thick spears are best for roasting)
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher Salt
Freshly grated black pepper
Lemon juice
METHOD
1 Preheat oven to 400F. Rinse clean the asparagus. Break the tough ends off of the asparagus and discard.

2 Lay the asparagus spears out in a single layer in a baking dish or a foil-covered roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil over the spears, roll the asparagus back and forth until they are all covered with a thin layer of olive oil. (Alternatively you can put the asparagus and oil in a plastic bag, and rub the bag so that the oil gets evenly distributed.) Sprinkle with minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Rub over the asparagus so that they are evenly distributed.
3 Place pan in oven and cook for approximately 8-10 minutes, depending on how thick your asparagus spears are, until lightly browned and tender when pierced with a fork. Drizzle with a little fresh lemon juice before serving.
Serves 4.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

We pan sear asparagus. It is wonderful like that. Here is a recipe . We do it a little different. We use butter instead of oil and we squeeze either lemon or lime over it when it is just about done cooking. Yum!

I usually incorporate nettles into other dishes that call for cooked spinach, but you can apparently also turn it into pesto!

I also made some sort of artichoke appetizer one time that was really good, but I cannot for the life of me remember what exactly I did. :/

 

[old fashioned]

Strawberries---oh what can't you do with SB's? freash eating, with whipped cream, shortcake, pie, mixed with other fresh fruit for compote w/cream (whip or pour on) & sprinkle of sugar, jam, jam, & more jam!

Artichokes---I've just boiled & dip leaves in butter

Asparagus---boil or steam & eaten as is or with a tangy sauce or cheese sauce, cut up in stir fry, cream of A soup

Nettles---I've not ever seen these in the stores & have never tried them, but I know they're edible. Suggest salad?

other greens like mustard, collards, kale, etc--we've not tried these either (yet), but can be eaten fresh, boiled, steamed, etc (like other greens-lettuce, spinach, etc)

 

[Wifezilla]

I picked up a 4lb container of strawberries last night at Sunflower market. I am about to put some in a breakfast yogurt smoothie

 

[ORChick]

The very nicest sauce for artichokes and asparagus, in my opinion, is Hollandaise sauce. But this is also good:

Avocado Sauce

1 Avocado, med. ripe
1/2 cup thick yogurt
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green onion
2 Tbls. lemon juice, or to taste
1-2 cloves garlic
Pepper or Tabasco, to taste

Whirl everything in the blender till smooth.
Make just before serving, to maintain the avocado green.

 

[ToLiveToLaugh]

The very nicest sauce for artichokes and asparagus, in my opinion, is Hollandaise sauce. But this is also good:

Avocado Sauce

1 Avocado, med. ripe
1/2 cup thick yogurt
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green onion
2 Tbls. lemon juice, or to taste
1-2 cloves garlic
Pepper or Tabasco, to taste

Whirl everything in the blender till smooth.
Make just before serving, to maintain the avocado green.

Oh this would be a dream for SO. He loves avocado and he loves asparagus.

Posted before I was done.

 

[elijahboy]

asparagus on a piece of foil sprinkled with salt and pepper then sprinkled with parm cheese and baked till cheese is brown

and no dirty dishes