Category Archives: Gardening

My Favorite Asparagus Recipe

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I’ve been waiting for our garden to produce the first asparagus of the spring so I could share my very favorite asparagus recipe with you.

Asparagus spears emerge.

The 1st asparagus spears of the season are always cause for great celebration!

But, spring comes late to northern New England, and your asparagus season might be long gone by the end of April, when I expect our season to begin.

Asparagus just past prime picking

Once asparagus unfurls it's branches, it's past its prime for harvest.

So, without further ado, I present:

Easy Roasted Asparagus

Roasted asparagus spears line a baking sheet, fresh from the oven.

A simple recipe to showcase the complex flavors of fresh asparagus.

Preheat oven to 400F degrees.

Place washed & trimmed asparagus spears on baking sheet.

Drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle with salt.

Roast 8-10 minutes, turning once.

Remove from oven (and purely optional: sprinkle with a bit of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar).

Serve immediately.

Caramelized Asparagus Spear Tips - macro

To ensure even roasting, choose spears of similar thickness, or remove thinner spears first. Asparagus will brown & caramelize during roasting, adding a rich, wonderful flavor.

The fresher the asparagus, the better this recipe!

Do you have a favorite way to serve asparagus? I’d love if you’d share it below…

Jennifer’s Rhubarb Tea

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Just when I was nearly out of rhubarb recipes, my friend and fellow League of New Hampshire Craftsman, Jennifer Allen came to the rescue!

Jennifer is the organic gardener and creative force behind Botanical Lampshades.

Jennifer Allen of Botanical Lampshades

Visit Jennifer's studio in Sandwich, NH, & you can design a custom lampshade of your own.

Besides Botanical Lampshades, Jennifer also makes custom MapShades, and is an avid rhubarb enthusiast (did you know there is a Rhubarb Triangle in England?).

Jennifer left this tantalizing recipe on my Facebook hats page:

Jennifer’s Rhubarb Tea

8 cups cut up rhubarb
8 cups water
juice and rind of one lemon or orange
3/4 cup sugar
1 pint mashed strawberries

Cook rhubarb in water til soft. Shut off heat. Add mashed berries, citrus, and sugar, and stir til dissolved. Strain through a fine sieve, and chill. Serve on ice with a stem of fresh mint.

YUM!

Fresh, Juicy Strawberries

Sun-ripened strawberries are a natural pairing with rhubarb.

“Yum” is right! I can hardly wait to try this out myself. Thank you, Jennifer! Full-fledged rhubarb season is nearly upon us, and you can never have too many rhubarb recipes.

Anyone else out there with a yummy rhubarb recipe you’d care to share? I’d love to hear from you…

Rhubarb Juice

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Rhubarb can survive on very little care. However, eventually, the plant’s stalks get scrawny, thin and numerous, indicating it’s time to divide the crowns.

I suppose that’s how the previous residents of our house ended up with so much rhubarb. It’s like a botanical Ponzi scheme.

Quinn-dog and old-growth rhubarb patch

Quinn-dog and our super-productive, old-growth rhubarb patch.

If you’re lucky enough to have more rhubarb than you can give away, freeze, or turn into jam and pies, you’ll need another recipe. I have just the thing:

Rhubarb Juice

Add 2 cups water to 4 quarts cut up rhubarb.
Simmer 5 minutes or until rhubarb is soft.
Strain through a cheesecloth.
Add 1 cup sugar to juice and simmer until dissolved.

Yields approximately 1 quart.

(Recipe courtesy the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service.)

I love this sweet & tangy juice. I often mix it with seltzer for a refreshing homemade “soda”, or else add equal parts rhubarb juice and iced tea, to get a New England variety of the beloved Arnold Palmer.

One more tip: when cleaning your rhubarb, be sure not to cut too much off the base of the stalks, since that’s the sweetest part.

Abundant Rhubarb Harvest

This abundant harvest hardly makes a dent in our never-ending rhubarb supply.