What's inside:

Spring is Coming......................P1

Friggit & the Rainbow Bridge.P2

Recipe: Nature's Garden........P3
More Signs of Spring..............P3

Poems & Quotations.....P1 & P2

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Asparagus and Crab Salad

Dressing:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

Salad:
2 cups cut-up fresh asparagus
12 oz. crab meat (fresh or canned) or imitation crab
1 (10-oz) bag lettuce mix
1 cup 1/2-inch pieces cantaloupe
1 cup sliced seedless cucumber

For Dressing, combine all ingredients; mix well. Set aside.

For Salad, steam or microwave asparagus until tender-crisp. Drain and let cool. Cut crab into bite-size pieces. Combine asparagus and crab in a large bowl; add lettuce mix, cantaloupe and cucumber. Toss gently. Pour salad dressing over all. Toss to evenly coat. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Note: Substitute 1-1/2 cups cubed, cooked chicken for the crab, if desired.

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An Ode to Spring

The spring has sprung
The grass has rise
I wonder where 
The daisies is.
Unknown

 Mother Natures Spring Garden

Asparagus is considered Mother Natures most perfect food and for good reason.   It is one of the most well-balanced vegetables in existence leading nearly all produce items in the wide array of nutrients.  Most notable, it is the leading vegetable supplier of folic acid, providing 60% of the daily requirements of folacin in one 5.3 oz serving.  Folacin is necessary for blood cell formation, growth, and helps in the prevention of liver disease as well as  neural tube defects, such as spina bifida. 

Asparagus is a cultivated vegetable that often runs wild along roadsides, old fields, or old farm sites where the soil is well-drained and sandy.  The plant resembles a dried Christmas tree-shaped stalk.  Slice off young stalks just below ground level when green shoots protrude only a few inches.  (Shoots will continue to grow and can be reharvested).  This plant is found in many locations throughout the US.  Of course, for those of you haven't the time or energy to go hunting for great vegetable, there is always the supermarket.

Did you know?

• Asparagus is a member of the Lily family.

• An asparagus spear can grow 10" in a 24-hour period under the right conditions.
• During the spring and early summer months, spears will continue to shoot from each crown for about six to seven weeks.
• Later, after harvesting, the spears grow into ferns which produce red berries.  The ferns and berries are needed for next seasons crop.  
• Most of the fiber is in the skin so the larger the diameter of the spear, the better the quality.  Most consumers believe the opposite to be true.  Look for nice meaty spears.
• White asparagus is not a variety.  It is simply a plant that is grown in the dark so that chlorophyll does not develop.  It has a slightly sweeter taste but less fiber.

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Orange and Asparagus Salad

2 cups cut up fresh asparagus
1 (6 oz.) bag of spring mix lettuce
1 (11 oz) can mandarin orange sections, drained
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/3 cup honey roasted cashews
1/4 cup raspberry vinaigrette dressing
Steam or microwave asparagus until tender-crisp.  Drain and let cool.  Combine all ingredients pouring dressing over all.  Toss & serve immediately.  (6 servings)  

More Signs of Spring

Everywhere I look I see and hear the signs of spring.  It's not just the reemergence of chipmunks or the appearance of our resident rabbit, it's all the sights and sounds that fill the yard this time of year.

On the first of March I awoke to the chatter of  hundreds of red winged black birds.  Every spring they rest a few days in the woods behind our house.  They hang on barren branches like black fruit waiting to be picked.  Too soon they will leave and head for the wildlife refuge where they will spend their summer.  

That same afternoon I was so excited to find three robins in the yard.  They were joined by an entourage of sparrows, juncos, and house wrens chirping in a melodic chorus while the robins sang their own sweet arias.  Each was vying for attention from the females of their species and pairs of birds would suddenly burst into flight and head for the trees.

The snow that filled the yard over the winter months has finally vanished. Rising temperatures and  torrential rains have left behind a muddy pathway that pulls at your feet as you pass.  

The crocus are about to bloom and the jonquils are pushing their heads up through the still frozen earth.  There are buds on the forsythia shrub, the lilac tree, and the Siberian berry tree.  Surly Nature is sending a message that spring has arrived. 

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HAPPY SPRING!

2 tbsp. mayonnaise
1/4 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 flour tortilla (10-11")
1 leaf romaine lettuce
2 thin slices mozzarella, cheddar, or provolone cheese
2 thin slices (2 oz) shaved roast beef
2 large pieces prepared roasted red pepper, well drained
4 asparagus spears

Combine mayonnaise and Italian seasoning.  Spread over one side of the flour tortilla.  Layer lettuce, cheese, and roast beef.
Place red pepper pieces near center of roast beef.  Top with asparagus.  Roll up.  Cut in half diagonally to serve. (1 serving)

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Golden Asparagus Soup

4 cups chicken stock* (see recipe below)
or canned broth
2 thin slices fresh ginger or 1/4 tsp ground ginger 
1/2 cup dry sherry 
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/3 pound fresh asparagus spears, cut into 
1 1/4 inch pieces 
2 ounces cellophane noodles, cooked and drained
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Bring chicken stock and ginger to a boil. Stir in sherry and sesame oil. Reduce to a simmer and add fresh asparagus and noodles. Cook until asparagus is tender-crisp, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in green onions and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Chicken Stock
In a stock pot, combine 1 1/2 quarts water, 3 pounds chicken back and neck pieces with skin, 1/2 lemon, 2 stalk celery (cut in half), 2 carrots (cut in half), and 5-6 peppercorns.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat hand simmer, covered, 3-4 hours. Pour through a fine strainer and skim fat from top.

Asparagus in Boursin Sauce/pasta shells

1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. portobello mushrooms (stems removed)
1/1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (5.2 oz) pkg. pepper Boursin cheese
3/4 lb. uncooked pasta shells
1 lb. fresh asparagus trimmed

In a large skilled over medium heat, melt butter and heat olive oil.  Cut the mushroom caps in half and slice 1/4 inch thick.  Cook mushrooms in skillet 8 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Season with salt.  Stir in chicken broth and Boursin cheese.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly until well blended.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add pasta shells and cook for 5 minutes.  Place the asparagus in the pot and continue cooking for 5 minutes or until the pasta is al dente and the asparagus tender.  Drain.  Toss with the mushroom sauce to serve.

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