One of the perks of living in Ohio is that the seasons change. I am experiencing my first intermittent bouts of Spring, and what I've seen so far is so lovely that I'm inspired to change my eating habits.
With that, I resolved to increase my intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. What's more, I've resolved to purchase mostly seasonal, organic, and locally-grown foods whenever possible (and take part in as many gastronomic festivals northeast Ohio can throw at me!).
April is when Spring starts to slowly threaten Ohio. The temperature hovers around 40 to 50 degrees, it snows a few times, and every plant and tree lets its flowers free.
With all those visual delights surrounding me, I wondered: What delights might be in store for a seeker of fresh, seasonal produce?
Asparagus and rhubarb, apparently, according to OurOhio.org.
I'm skipping the rhubarb.
The site gets "technical" and breaks down fruits and vegetables' "seasonality" by month.
It seems like I should have decided to go "local and seasonal" around July, as that's when most of the good stuff is ripe and ready. Raspberries won't be perfect until late June - but the sweet flavor of a perfectly ripe berry is something wonderful to look forward to, at least. Being a good sport, however, I went out and bought a pound of thick asparagus spears.
Asparagus is more versatile than you might think, as the people of Sierra de Yeguas (in Andalucia, Spain) already know. They celebrate their Spring asparagus harvest with a festival, preparing asparagus tortilla and asparagus paella, along with my favorite asparagus dish: sautéed asparagus topped with poached egg.
I didn't remember to buy eggs, so I improvised and pan-roasted some asparagus with salt, black pepper, chili powder, and chopped parsley, drizzled with a mix of olive oil and lemon juice. I tossed in a few portabella mushrooms (because I had them) and let everything soak up the flavors quite nicely.
It wasn't much, but it was a tasty start to a year of exploring fresh, local produce!
With that, I resolved to increase my intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. What's more, I've resolved to purchase mostly seasonal, organic, and locally-grown foods whenever possible (and take part in as many gastronomic festivals northeast Ohio can throw at me!).
April is when Spring starts to slowly threaten Ohio. The temperature hovers around 40 to 50 degrees, it snows a few times, and every plant and tree lets its flowers free.
With all those visual delights surrounding me, I wondered: What delights might be in store for a seeker of fresh, seasonal produce?
Asparagus and rhubarb, apparently, according to OurOhio.org.
I'm skipping the rhubarb.
The site gets "technical" and breaks down fruits and vegetables' "seasonality" by month.
It seems like I should have decided to go "local and seasonal" around July, as that's when most of the good stuff is ripe and ready. Raspberries won't be perfect until late June - but the sweet flavor of a perfectly ripe berry is something wonderful to look forward to, at least. Being a good sport, however, I went out and bought a pound of thick asparagus spears.
Asparagus is more versatile than you might think, as the people of Sierra de Yeguas (in Andalucia, Spain) already know. They celebrate their Spring asparagus harvest with a festival, preparing asparagus tortilla and asparagus paella, along with my favorite asparagus dish: sautéed asparagus topped with poached egg.
I didn't remember to buy eggs, so I improvised and pan-roasted some asparagus with salt, black pepper, chili powder, and chopped parsley, drizzled with a mix of olive oil and lemon juice. I tossed in a few portabella mushrooms (because I had them) and let everything soak up the flavors quite nicely.
It wasn't much, but it was a tasty start to a year of exploring fresh, local produce!
