Asparagus Aspirations

Asparagus Aspirations



Most of us are limited in our most gluttonous desires by a sense of proportion, by a desire to not appear -- even if only to ourselves -- greedy or unable to control our base urges. We are also often limited by economics because we simply can't reasonably afford the object of our lust in the quantities we desire. But suppose such restraints were removed? Suppose, in fact, that to not wildly indulge your appetite was a sin itself -- or at least could be reasonably argued as such. Suppose you had an asparagus bed, 20 feet long, all to yourself and any asparagus you didn't eat would simply go to waste?

I found myself in this terrible

moral quandary when, one spring, I agreed to house-sit for my parents at the height of asparagus season. For a two week period my greatest challenge was deciding whether to leave some stalks at the end of the day so I could have fresh asparagus for breakfast -- and let tell you, an omelet made with asparagus that was picked just ten minutes earlier is damned close to heaven.

As I do every year, I've been eagerly anticipating the beginning of asparagus season this year. And as I looked forward to this season I recalled that my other challenge that exceptional spring was finding recipes. That was before the Internet and so I was limited to cookbooks and magazines. It occurred to me that it would be fun to have some sort of an on-line event dedicated to asparagus. Something featuring local asparagus as it comes into season and providing, hopefully, a plethora of recipes. An Asparagus Extravaganza, if you will.

A week or so after formulating this idea I got an e-mail from Jen (Life Begins at 30) announcing that the Eat Local Challenge would take place in May this year -- prime asparagus season. Clearly the planets are in alignment.

Here's what I have in mind. Between now and the end of May, post your favorite asparagus recipes, using locally-grown asparagus if at all possible, and e-mail me a link to your post along with

your name and location. Send me as many links as you want. Each Monday I'll post a roundup of the recipes I've received. At the end of May I’ll gather all the links together and post a permanent asparagus Web site. Also, it would be great if you'd include a link in your post to help others find the asparagus mother lode. You can also include the technoratti tag:

<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/asparagus+aspirations" rel="tag">asparagus aspirations</a>

Although the emphasis is on locally-grown asparagus, if you don't have access to local asparagus please feel free to participate anyway. I know that here in Knoxville it's hard to find if you don't grow it yourself. I'll be posting some of my favorite recipes as well.

Asparagus Roundup 1
Asparagus Roundup II
Asparagus Roundup III
Asparagus Roundup IV
Asparagus Roundup V
Asparagus Roudup VI

Technorati: Food | recipe | asparagus | asparagus aspirations