Try This Week: Asparagus

It is still early in the season, but fresh, local produce is beginning to bloom at your nearby market. This week, think about making something with ingredients that are in heavy supply - they will be cheaper (good for you) and less resource intensive (good for everyone).

Asparagus is a great early spring item. I am trying out the Italian Asparagus Fettucini from Jaime Oliver's excellent site. Oh, and if you have not heard of it or signed yet, sign Jaime's petition to improve food in schools across America. It is in conjunction with his excellent Food Revolution program on ABC, which is worth watching just for the scene where he shows a group of kids what really goes into their chicken nuggets. Spoiler alert: watch for Jaime's visible heartbreak when every kid still volunteers to eat the 'chicken' nuggets.

Leeks are also a good item to keep an eye out for. They make excellent soups, especially when paired with potatoes. I will post items from other sources, but Jaime Oliver also has a lovely Leek Potato soup recipe in his book, Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals. This has been our cookbook of choice for the past few weeks and have really enjoyed everything made from it so far.

Finally, this is a great time to start cleaning out the fridge to prepare for your CSA goodies. Use up any leftover produce, especially frozen and canned items from last harvest. You can also start gearing up for this year's haul by making basic items that can be frozen ahead of time, such as stocks and spice blends. We will put up some recipes to help out as we make these items ourselves!

Happy Cooking!