Asparagus!

[Moll Flanders]

I'm getting really hungry reading this thread. I don't actually have any aspragus in the house - yet.

I'm having some asparagus delivered today because of this thread.

 

[ledboots]

I'm having some asparagus delivered today because of this thread.

I hope it is as good as the bunch I ate last night. Mmm.

 

[Amy SF]

*hijacking my own thread*

In addition to asparagus, because it's spring, guess what else is in season?

rhubarb!

strawberries!

clementines and oranges!

 

[RabbitLuvr]

*hijacking my own thread*

In addition to asparagus, because it's spring, guess what else is in season?

rhubarb!

strawberries!

clementines and oranges!

Hmmm, not here. Rhubarb and strawberries aren't in season until July. Clementines and oranges are finishing up now.

Strawberries are in the stores right now, on sale, but they're the not-in-season ones that taste like water. The ones out in July actually taste like strawberries. I'll be buying a couple flats of strawberries this summer and dehydrating them.

Rhubarb can only be found in the store for about a week each summer.

 

[ledboots]

Strawberry season here starts in February. I don't know about rhubarb, though I love strawberry rhubarb pies! ;-)

 

[GingerFoxx]

I bought my first bunch of asparagus this year just last week. I am so glad it's coming back in season. I love it roasted with garlic. When I was a kid, my mum would sometimes put it on pizza. That was delicious as well.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

On topic, I bought a pack of asparagus at Costco yesterday. 2.5 pounds for $5.

For lunch, I just made this Creamy Spring Asparagus Soup. It was perfect, as I had one lonely leek and two small potatoes that desperately needed to be used.
I subbed Earth Balance for butter. I was going to use some MimicCreme in place of the sour cream, but I tasted the soup before adding and decided it was fine as it was. The potato gave it an awesome "creamy" mouthfeel. I also used a hand blender to puree it, no way I'm ever messing with pureeing hot soup in a regular blender. I reserved the asparagus tips and floated them on the top after portioning into bowls.

Edit: The recipe says it makes four servings, but it only made three for me.

 

[silva]

...do I really need to be the first to mention the bad-pee smell?
Never fails to surprise...

I do love asparagus! And I love rhubarb!
Any tips on growing rhubarb?

 

[GingerFoxx]

...do I really need to be the first to mention the bad-pee smell?
Never fails to surprise...

Either I am oblivious, or I do not have this problem when I eat asparagus. I have heard a lot of people say this. Am I alone in thinking it does not affect me that way?

 

[thefadedone]

Either I am oblivious, or I do not have this problem when I eat asparagus. I have heard a lot of people say this. Am I alone in thinking it does not affect me that way?

Nope I'm the same way. I've heard the stories but never had the first hand experience.

Spoiler

Bright pink beet pee however is a completely different story. It happens every single time I eat beets , yet it always initially freaks me out at first.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

From what I've read, the asparagus-pee odor is dependent both on the metabolism of the asparagus consumer, AND the sense of smell of the, uh, sniffer.

Edit: According to the interwebs, most people produce sulfurous compounds when digesting asparagus, but only about a quarter of people are able to smell those compounds.

 

[Amy SF]

Hmmm interesting. I've had a little bit of odor, but not much.

Spoiler

And the bright pink beet pee? It's purple beet poop for me.

 

[ledboots]

There is an antibiotic that makes urine temporarily bright red. I have heard grown men scream when no one has prewarned them about this side effect.

 

[silva]

Hmmm interesting. I've had a little bit of odor, but not much.

Spoiler

And the bright pink beet pee? It's purple beet poop for me.

I guess I'm in the high range of smelling ability because it's quite awful for me!

And the spoiler--I hadn't eaten beets much at all, then ate a lot of fresh roasted beets. I thought I needed to go to an E.R. the next morning- then I remembered.
My first son just loved jarred baby food beets. First night I got to go out with daddy watching him was a beet day. Had a nerve wracking phone call.

 

[mary1]

I HATE the pee-smell but I LOVE asparagus. It sucks because I think I hate the smell more than I love the veg. *sigh*

 

[RabbitLuvr]

My Costco had the 2.5lb packs of asparagus for $2.99 yesterday. I'll be eating a lot of asparagus this week

 

[Amy SF]

Well, it's asparagus season once again. We need MOAR vegan recipes for the delightful woody food.

 

[Tom L.]

I guess I'm kind of unimaginative... I just steam it. The tips taste a bit better than the stalks, but I eat the stalks too. Sometime I put the tips in to steam a bit later than the thicker stalks so they won't be overdone. Alternatively I cut it into short pieces and add it to rice which has been cooking, so that it will be done when the rice is cooked.

(And my pee smells too afterwards. But not too bad... I don't think...)

I find vegetables and fruits so tasty that the less I mess with them, the better I like them, although I do like them cooked. I've eaten a bt of asparagus raw, when I was preparing it for cooking, and it was okay, but minimally cooked is just a bit better.

 

[ledboots]

We had some grilled last night! Fresh lemon squeezed over. Yum yum.

 

[Dropkick]

I bought 4 bunches the other day. I could eat asparagus every day.

I normally don't do anything fancy I just steam them. Though I do like to cook to much and then quench (quickly cool) the surplus in order to keep it crispy. Then I keep it in the refrigerator as a snack (I eat it directly from the frig - cold).