Amazed by Spring

The coming of each new season always thrills me with its incredible scenery change, but none so much as Spring. Its colors, smells and sounds intoxicate me. How can intricately cut geometrics appear on the tips of winter-dead branches? The lime green new grass and the neon-lit forsythia overtake the brown and grey yards, like colorizing a classic movie. The impossibly bright colors and sweet smells defy reason. But Robert Frost nailed it: that first hue is hard to hold; we need to enjoy the fleeting delicacy of Spring's pleasures before they succumb to the intensity of summer's heat.

The re-opening of the farm stand is equally sudden and amazing. I saw the "local asparagus" sign yesterday, and my heart skipped a beat. While I was cleaning up winter leaves and sticks at home, the delicate spinach and early lettuces were growing nearby. The long winter without Pete's Produce has ended!

I think asparagus should be the poster child for eating local produce in season. There's a reason why every grocery store prominently places the gems front and center in the produce. For a few perfect weeks, the locally grown are flavorful, sweet, and superior.

My family's favorite asparagus preparation? I grill it simply, on low if the asparagus is very thin, with a little olive oil and sea salt, and then give it a squeeze of lemon or a grating of parmesan at the table. We love the leftover as a cold snack. Note: if you don't serve the asparagus the day you buy it, store it like a bunch of flowers: cut a slice off the bottoms and stand it upright in an inch or two of water in a small bowl in the refrigerator.