Timing is Everything - April

Now that I have been to tons of farmers markets, I thought it would be helpful to start a monthly post of  fruits and vegetables that you can currently find at your local farmers market.  I feel that Timing is Everything would be an appropriate title.  I hope this provides readers with some delicious ways to prepare fruits and veggies as well as how to preserve these to eat throughout the year.  I look forward to certain times of the year when I know certain fruits and vegetables are in season and try to eat them the most when I know I can get them fresh at the farmers market.  I have been doing my best to eat local this past winter.  But this means no fresh fruit, tomatoes, peppers, greens beans etc.  I have dipped into my freezer stash and I am running low on tomatoes, and I am fresh out of green peppers and zucchini.  I recently just used the last of plums to make some spiced plum jam.  

So what's in season in April?  I am always surprised that not many people know that asparagus season begins in April and goes until May or June depending on the year.  In my research to write this blog, I found that due to the warm weather last winter, asparagus began as early as March last year.  If you don't know this, then you must get to your local market and get some asparagus.  If you don't like asparagus, I still urge you to try it, because fruits and vegetables taste so much better when they are in season.  At most grocery stores, all that can be found is asparagus shipped in from Peru or Mexico, which is a long ways away, and I can almost guarantee that has an effect on the taste.

Asparagus can be cooked in many ways.  The simplest and fastest way is to sauté over high heat in some butter or olive oil.  Steaming also provides similar taste.  If the weather is warm and grilling is possible, it is a delicious way to enjoy asparagus.  And then there is my favorite way of cooking asparagus by roasting in the oven in some olive oil.  Asparagus is great to use in an omelet or frittata and I have also seen recipes for asparagus soup, something that I have not tried yet.  

To preserve asparagus, it can be frozen for 8-12 months in the freezer.  Asparagus does need to be blanched, which means it must be boiled in water for 2-3 minutes and then put into a cold water bath to stop the cooking process.  Another way to preserve asparagus is to pickle asparagus, which says fresh for up to a year.  I haven't tried this yet, but I plan to this season.

Other in season fruits and vegetables that will be available shortly are rhubarb, herbs such as cilantro and oregano, baby greens, early broccoli, peas, and onions. I was hoping to come across asparagus at the farmers market over the weekend, but it may still be a bit early, so there will be some recipes and pictures to come!