Published: April 16, 2008 10:53 am            

Farmers' Market 04-16-08

Items to look forward to at the market are asparagus, lettuces, salad greens, spinach, radishes and Swiss chard. There will be fresh herbs like mint, sage, parsley, and chives, broccoli plants, tomato plants, potted herbs and other bedding plants.

Also at the market are beautiful potted flowers, lavender items, lotions and soaps, wood for smoking, eggs, buffalo, Southwest Cuisine, soups, breads and more.

Stillwater Farmers’ Market is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Oct. 29 in Strickland Park, 309 N. Main.

When buying asparagus, look for straight, crisp spears rich in color with tight heads. It’s freshness, not size, that’s important.

Store asparagus in the refrigerator in an unsealed plastic bag so that it won’t sweat, or store them upright in a jar with a little water in it, but first trim the bottoms and cover the tops with a plastic bag. Asparagus can be stored like this for four to five days in the refrigerator.

Asparagus is a good source of vitamin C and vitamin A, and an excellent source of folic acid. Asparagus has no fat and contains no cholesterol. Five to six medium spears contain 22 calories and no fat.

To prepare fresh asparagus for cooking, first, wash it in cold running water or soak in a container of water to remove sand or grit. Then trim the bottoms of the asparagus to remove dried ends.

One of the easiest and fastest ways to fix asparagus is to grill it, broil it or pan fry it. Take the asparagus and place in a flat baking pan. Depending on how much asparagus you have, poor a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over the asparagus. Salt and pepper it to taste. Then roll the asparagus around until coated.

Now you can grill it, broil it or pan fry it. Experiment to see how long you like it cooked. Some people like it barely seared. I like mine a little browned and lightly crunchy. It gives it a light nutty flavor.

        

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