My Favorite Asparagus Recipe

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…

CCM Felt Hats… Now with 100% More Archives!

For your reading pleasure, I’ve added an Archives page to this site. Just click on the tab above to check out all my posts in one handy spot.

I’m so tickled with this new-to-me feature! And it was simple to set up. If you have a WordPress.com site, you can learn how to set up an Archives page quickly for yourself.

Thank you WordPress.com. You rock!

17 Days of Green – Grow Your Own

A major reason Andy & I left Alaska was to grow more food than we could in Denali. We hoped that by eating more locally, we could reduce our impact on the environment.

We picked a south-facing site between the existing rhubarb patch and 3 old apple trees.

We rented a sod-lifter to remove the grass instead of roto-tilling.

The garden site, cleared and ready.

Andy lays out salvaged beams for 6 raised garden beds.

We used 6-inch spikes to hold the old beams together.

We filled our raised beds with rich, organic soil from Long Wind Farm.

We added our own compost, too (aged compost on left, active pile on right).

A bit of organic fertilizer enriches the soil & gives plants a boost.

Completed garden beds, ready for planting. We mulched between beds to slow down the weeds.

Radishes grow quickly from seed. These lovelies are a "French Breakfast" variety.

An old sink finds new life as a garden washing station.

Romaine lettuces also grow easily from seed.

Broccoli starts purchased at our local nursery need support at first.

Tomato bushes need support, too -- these wire cages do the trick.

Our watering system is simple: a hose and a sprinkler.

An old-fashioned watering can is handy for spot-watering.

Our garden in mid-summer glory.

Pansies add glorious color to a veggie garden. Plus, they're edible!

Harvesting greens for immediate consumption.

Tomatoes, cucumbers and bean plants.

Carrots taste especially amazing straight from the soil!

Garden delight: dinner straight from the soil.

Mmmm... local food is not only green food, but delicious, too!

What about you? Do you grow any of your own?