"Asparagus" news and stories

It's been a brutal winter across much of the country, but spring is finally peeking its head out from under those snow drifts. Want to celebrate? YumSugar has tips on cooking up five of springtime's most iconic foods. We all love those first sweet strawberries, but this year, instead of shortcake, why not use them to make a rich ice cream bursting with fruit flavor? More of a rhubarb fan? Harness its captivating sweet-tart flavor in a delicate salad. They've given you the ideas, now it's up to you. So hit up your local farmer's market and get cooking -- these recipes will make any meal just a little bit brighter.

Get the full list -- and the recipes -- at YumSugar.com.

If you love to channel your inner April Bloomfield or Eric Ripert on a regular basis, but you're a parent, and therefore obligated to turn out food day in, day out, meaning food that your family actually wants (which, sorry, may not be pork belly or sea urchin), read Carolyn Cope's post (and recipe for the grilled asparagus, above) on blog Serious Eats.

Cope is honest: Some days, it's just a drag. So suck it up and give 'em what they crave, which, in this case is not thinly sliced white asparagus with delicate porcini mushrooms but still very delicious and incredibly buttery, lemony, garlicky breadcrumbs (oh, right, with grilled green asparagus underneath). Anyway, there's always tomorrow to be Daniel Boulud.

But, here's a thought: Bring the little mac-and-cheese heads into the kitchen, and turn them on to the possibilities. Check out Kitchen Daily's new Cooking With Kids for ideas and recipes. And, while you're at it, read what Mark Bittman has to say about asparagus on a recent Kitchen Daily post.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool for a shot of having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

The Icelandic volcano eruption made life miserable for thousands of people (there are still people sleeping on cots at JFK airport), but it's been an unexpected bonus for an unlikely collective: British asparagus farmers.

The United Kingdom gets their out-of-season produce from Kenya. But with flight schedules in havoc because of the volcano, British supermarkets have turned to local suppliers to fill the demand. And right now the only spring veggie available is asparagus.

One of the largest growers, Western Asparagus Growers, have sold double the amount that was initially ordered. And because the harvest season doesn't really start until today, St.George's Day (April 23), it means the demand is outstripping the supply. And even those of us who flunked economics (which includes me) know what that means -- higher prices for asparagus.

"Short term, the market has gone bonkers," succinctly said a spokesman for the British Asparagus Festival. Don't you love those quaint British expressions?

The recent beer renaissance in Asheville, N.C. has spawned a new vegetable.

Jacob Sessoms of Table, who earlier this year was shortlisted for a James Beard nomination, believes he's the only chef in the U.S. serving hop shoots, nicknamed "hops asparagus." Sessoms and co-chef Matt Dawes recently started sautéing the springtime delicacy with mushrooms, spritzing it with lemon and serving it over a johnny cake. "It's absolutely amazing," Sessoms says.

Hops asparagus occasionally shows up on menus in Europe, where Sessoms says gourmands pay $150 a pound for the feathery sprigs. But Sessoms and Dawes had never heard of it when a local farmer experimenting with hops production – a popular pastime in a region that's still hunting for a cash crop to replace tobacco -- offered to bring them a sample.

By the time the first sunny spring days arrive to warm our winter-weary bones, cold-weather crops are ripe for the picking, reminding us that plant life persists despite the frost. Of all the seasonal spring produce, slender, tender asparagus holds first place in our hearts, thanks to its earthy, vibrant greenness and a get-it-while-you-can short harvesting season.

Though they aren't the centerpiece of this salad, blogger The Dabble layers asparagus shoots along with strawberries atop spinach -- also lovely in this season -- modeling her recipe after a favorite dish from a wedding reception. While asparagus crops wane, strawberry patches continue to ripen, producing the sort of plump, red berries that seem to define summer -- so make the most of this narrow window during which all three ingredients are lush with color and optimally tasty.

While fancy enough for a black-tie affair, this simple salad would add brightness to nearly any occasion and requires little cooking (just a short tending to those asparagus), which becomes increasingly desirable as the days grow hotter. This recipe incorporates salty feta to balance out the tangy, sweet strawberries and bitter walnuts, but the author thinks blue cheese or goat cheese would work just as nicely, depending on your taste preferences.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot of having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.