Spring means warmer weather and flowering trees. But
for me, the harbinger of spring is asparagus, that delicious edible member
of the lily family that usually bursts forth from the cool ground this
month.
Sangamon County is a great source of asparagus, with
plenty of farmers selling their produce at the downtown farmers’
market and at roadside stands such as Jefferies Orchard, located on Route
29. The patch was started about 100 years ago, says Ruth Jefferies
Anderson, one of the farm’s co-owners. She says asparagus usually
goes on sale at the market near the end of April. By May, the crop is in
full swing.
“The asparagus season is eight weeks. People
think it only lasts a week or 10 days, but we cut it 56 times during an
eight-week period,” Anderson says.
Jefferies Orchard sells giant red Purple Passion and
green varieties. Spinach, another cool-season crop, is also ready in April,
and followed by rhubarb and strawberries in May.
Spring also means a succession of fresh produce for
chef Julianne Glatz, owner of the RealCuisine cooking school. First
there’s baby lettuce and then sweet radishes, which, like lettuce,
love the cool spring weather. (“Once it gets hot, so do they,”
she says.)
“I really do use ingredients when they are in
season. This is not to say that I don’t ever buy out-of-season
berries and lettuce, but I really do use copious quantities of vegetables
in season,” Glatz says.
“When I was a kid, when a vegetable was in
season, we had it pretty much every day.”
Glatz is just one of many local chefs who savor spring
produce and use it in their culinary creations.
“My recipe for simple spring meals would be to
use the best seasonal ingredients and prepare them with minimal
interference from the cook, let their natural flavors shine,” she
says.
Try making a springtime dish or two at home to
celebrate the season.
Jefferies Orchard is located at 1016 Jefferies Rd.;
217-487-7582, 217-487-7401, or 217-487-7845. Call ahead to verify produce
availability.
Asparagus Anderson
This one-dish meal is
a family favorite, says Ruth Jefferies Anderson, one of the owners of
Jefferies Orchard, who prepares it at least 20 times during the asparagus
season.
Directions
For a single serving: Start with one slice of toast.
Add a slice of ham, lightly browned in a skillet. Steam six to 10 stalks of
asparagus until crisp but tender and place on top of ham, then top with two
soft-poached eggs. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste (you may also
add cheese or Hollandaise sauce).
— Recipe courtesy of Jefferies Orchard
This article appears in Apr 21-27, 2005.
