Asparagus fields forever

I made my first sighting of local Ontario asparagus which means that Mother Nature has signaled spring has finally sprung here in Eastern Canada. Sing Hallelujah and everyone out in Vancouver just be smug. It's now only a matter of weeks before all of my favourite fruits and veggies begin making return appearances at my local grocery store and farmers' markets. A girl gets tired of rutabagas right about now.

My parents devoured asparagus when it came into season every May and June. As a kid I really wondered what all the hoopla was about. My mom would carefully select firm dark green spears and then annihilate the poor unsuspecting things serving up mushy limp spears in the shade of off-green bleck. What was the big deal about that? I might as well have eaten the brussels sprouts she destroyed on Sundays. Then I had asparagus stir fried with a little soy sauce with a hint of garlic and the bright green firm yet tender spears won me over in a heart beat.

"Hello, my name is Mairlyn and I'm an Asparagus Addict."

"Hello, Mairlyn"

Aside from the fact that asparagus tastes like spring itself, it's an excellent source of folate which helps prevent changes to DNA which in turn reduces your chances of developing cancer. It's also an important source of potassium, which helps maintain a healthy blood pressure, a source of Vitamin C and according to the National Cancer Institute; it is the highest tested food containing the antioxidant glutathione, one of the body's most potent cancer fighters. And if that isn't good enough, asparagus is high in rutin, which is valuable in strengthening the blood vessels. One cup (250 mL) of cooked asparagus has only 45 little bitty calories, 0.6g total fat, 0.1g saturated fat, and 2.9g fibre. Yes, this sublime little green vegetable not only tastes amazing it is a gift from the Nutrition Gods.

When buying fresh, choose bright green asparagus with closed, compact, firm tips. Most grocery stores sell asparagus in bundles standing up in a tray of water to keep them hydrated. If you're buying them at your local farmer's market they may just be in bundles. No worries. Take them home and wrap the bottoms in a damp paper towel and store in the fridge in a covered container or a plastic bag for up to two days.

To prep them for cooking first wash the spears really well under cold running water and snap off the woody ends. Some cooks will tell you to peel off the woody part of the stems, but snapping is quick, easy, and in the culinary world, simple.

You can steam, stir fry, microwave, roast or grill them. But please, under no circumstance cook these babies too long. Take the page out of my mom's veggie cookbook and throw them away. There really isn't anything worse than overcooked asparagus, hold the phone, I just remembered those overcooked brussels sprouts. Well let's face it they're both really hideous when you cook the life out of them. Think bright green, not grey, and go for the tender crisp version.

If you were too busy to fly out to California on April 25^th then you missed Stockton's Annual Asparagus Festival, but fear not, there's always the Strawberries and Asparagus Festival in Toronto on Saturday, June 14, 11:00am to 5:00pm at Cedarvale Children's Garden. Albeit not as big and boisterous, but it looks like a fun family outing. Check out http://www.cedarvalepark.com/.

For recipes using fresh local asparagus go to http://www.mairlynsmith.com/.