It's the little things

I planted Asparagus last year.  I'm a terrible gardener and I have free range chickens, so I only half expected it to ever grow.  I found this yesterday...

They say not to harvest your asparagus for 3-4 years after planting.  Do you think the chickens will understand?

For the love of Asparagus

Asparagus is in season, and while my own newly planted patch of the green stuff is not yet producing (it takes 3-4 years), I scored a few bunches at a nice price and went about whipping up a batch of soup. 

This time I added potatoes and garlic to the concoction, but you can get my basic recipe here.  There are really no specific measurements - just go with the flow and which ever direction your taste buds lead you.

 I also added smoked ham this time, because I had a ton of it leftover from Easter : )

And don't forget the shaved Parmesan! ~A

Spring Delights

A couple who shares an interest with my stepfather in the sport of birdwatching stopped by the other evening to visit him.  They inquired about my garden and asked if I had started an asparagus bed, which I had not yet, but was going to do so in the next week or two.  The lady asked if I would like some fresh-picked asparagus from her garden, and of course I replied with an enthusiastic "yes please!" I love asparagus.  I really, really love asparagus!  So she popped open the trunk of her car, and there it was, a fresh picked pile of green and purple heaven!  Beautiful!

 The first thing that came to mind was Asparagus Soup, since the weather was cool and I needed something hot.

Chop Chop...

I had no recipe, so I made it up as I went along.  An onion sauteed in butter and olive oil, followed by the chopped asparagus.  I added chicken broth and simmered until the asparagus was somewhat tender, but not mushy. I hate mushy. 

Once everything was tender I hit the mixture with an emulsion blender, blending it just enough, but still leaving some pieces of asparagus intact.  I tasted it for salt and pepper, then I finished it off in my bowl with a dollop of sour cream and fresh grated parmesan.  I think a drizzle of real cream would have worked too.  And some cubed ham *grin*...

It registered a "9.5" on the "Yum-O" meter.  And, I even had enough left over for my work lunches this week.