What's in season

[hwinpp]

Do they let them get green or must they be white?

[bazfaz]

We are in green asparagus country here (as is Spain, 2 hours' drive away). When I lived in the Dordogne that was white asparagus. Somewhere there is a line dividing France between green/white. Does anybody know how I can get a grant to travel round, sampling and drawing up a map of the two distinct approaches to asparagus?

When I lived in the Dordogne I used to patronise an asparagus farm. I would ask for half a kilo and the patron would ask how many people it was for. When I said 2 he would select 5 plump spears each, weight them briefly (even I could see it was between 700 and 800 grams) and he said that was half a kilo. Then he told me to pass over a wooden carton and he would load that up with free stuff that he couldn't sell. Some of the spears were misshapen but some were ones he had missed in the field and they had grown up green. He said the French wouldn't buy the green ones even though in his opinion green ones were better with butter sauces.

[Deleted]

The frozen food store sells both varieties. The green ones are a little less expensive.

[Don Cuevas]

I find that white asparagus are nearly tasteless and boring. Of course, I've only had those from tins or jars.
Grilled green asparagus are heavenly.

[bixaorellana]

Baz's story reminded me of the free artichokes I used to get.

I worked as a typesetter in Carmel Valley, California. The house from which I worked overlooked artichoke fields, and every year my boss got given grocery sacks full of culls. Although supposedly rejects because of being marginally too small or something, they were perfect in freshness and condition. That was the first & only time in my life I ever had too many artichokes.

[hwinpp]

I prefer green ones as well.
In Germany asparagus have to be white, they're eaten with a thick whitish sauce (I think sauce hollandaise) and cooked ham. Asparagus farmers keep the prices up by destroying excess harvests and telling everybody asparagus can't be eaten after St. Johannis Day...

Green asparagus is something of a novelty slowly wearing off now. It used to be quite hip in the mid nineties to have green asparagus for brunch (another novelty wearing off) with a crisp white wine.

[bixaorellana]

[bazfaz]

Bixa's artichoke story reminded me of living on a Greek island years ago. In May it was just coming to the end of the artichoke season and they were incredibly cheap: one old British penny each. So, if you were mad enough, you would have got more than 200 for one British pound. We used to buy some, cook them then get rid of everything but the hearts, pack them in a jar with olive oil and lemon juice and take them out on picnics.

[bixaorellana]

Smart! It's fun & tasty to scrape the leaves with your teeth ........... up to a point, then it's just tedious.

I saw quite decent artichokes for sale in the supermarket the other day for the first time since I've lived here. I couldn't remember the name in Spanish & asked the produce guy, who couldn't remember it either. He said he'd never seen them before that day & asked if I knew what to do with them. I described cleaning, cooking, & eating them. We both agreed springing them on an unsuspecting public was a doomed enterprise.

[Deleted]

Google translation says the Spanish word is alcachofa.

[bixaorellana]

That's it! I knew the word but never had reason to use it before around here.

I suggested they make copies of the cooking instructions. Ha. In a town where bell peppers are considered exotic, those artichokes undoubtedly withered in their bin.

[Deleted]

At the Farmer's Market yesterday some new victuals in season: Creole tomatoes,sugar snap peas,spring onions AND soft shell crabs.

[voy]

the guy who figured out how to eat an artichoke was REALLY hungry. Can you imagine??

I have also been in the "scrape against the top teeth" v. "scrape against the bottom teeth" discussion. I am of the top teeth persuasion.

[Deleted]

Picked a bowl full of blackberries yesterday,they are in a little early this year. Glad I went and checked when I did. Pie tonight.

[Deleted]

I bought 500g of Spanish strawberries on sale for 0.80€ this week. Amazingly, there were not bad at all -- they both smelled and tasted like strawberries. Definitely a fluke.

[bazfaz]

I got some Spanish strawberries about 3 weeks ago: 99 centimes for 500 g. They had no taste whatsoever.

[auntieannie]

rhubarb is in season! I'll soon make some more jam.

[lola]

I paid $3.40 for a pound of organic American strawberries this weekend because my mother was in town, and they were on the disappointing side. My strawberry bed is in full bloom now, though, so good eating shouldn't be far behind.

Nothing's in season around here, except early salad greens and floral salad additions like violets, spring beauties, and redbuds.

[lola]

I had been hoping my mother would bring some asparagus from my brother's beds in SW MO, but it's been unusually cool so far and slim pickings indeed.

[bazfaz]

I keep looking at the cherry trees round us. The fruit are about the size of small peas. Damn weather is too cold or they would be swelling more.

[bjd]

The cherries on our trees are not even the size of small peas yet. I was told the weather had been the pits for the past few weeks (sw France).

This weekend I got back from 3 weeks in Ecuador -- lovely fruit, mostly that I couldn't identify. Lots of different kinds available nearly all year round, and delicious juices made on the spot in blenders at people's houses or at the market. They have enormous blackberries, called mora, about 3 times the size of French ones, that are blended into juice.

[Deleted]

I hope you took pictures, bjd!

[rikita]

i have no idea what is in season. i buy asparagus all the time, but i fear it is probably the imported one i buy, since the german one costs twice as much. i buy vegetables at the market usually, but it is not a farmer's market.

[bixaorellana]

Apr 22, 2009 15:55:54 GMT bjd said:

... Ecuador -- lovely fruit, ... They have enormous blackberries, called mora, about 3 times the size of French ones, that are blended into juice.

Latin American names for fruit can be misleading. Any chance those were mulberries, Bjd? Although I imagine you'd quickly recognize a mulberry.

[rikita]

hm the asparagus turned out not so great this time, had to cut away a lot, too... but well, that way i can make lots of soup...

[Deleted]

I confess that I buy only frozen asparagus -- nothing to clean or trim. All I have to do is put them in boiling water. And the frozen ones are in season 12 months of the year at a very good price.

[rikita]

never bought frozen one. sometimes buy the one in glasses. but for me the fact that it is asparagus season and that i need to prepare it is something special. even if the cleaning and trimming is a bit annoying sometimes. and i enjoy making the soup out of the rests, just because i can, and thus know i am not depending on buying soup powder, should they ever not have that...

[rikita]

(apart from that i am turning my big freezer off most of the time so not much frozen food space in my house).

[Deleted]

Johney Rotten

[Jazz]

...a trip to bountiful!...what wonderful shots! This is a roving market that I wish would be near me and it is an excellent idea. I love how the owner carries the portable awning with her. The little boy certainly looks like he has a 'strong' character This has inspired me to go to a market this afternoon.