Popular for thousands of years, asparagus was grown in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. Stories say that the ancient Romans prized the vegetable so much that they had special fleets, running it in to the tables of the privileged straight from the farm. There is also talk of it being “run” from the farms of Roman Britain up into the Swiss Alps for “freezing” in order to be available for important feasts year round. 
Herbalist John Girard mentioned wild asparagus in the 16th century, and it is found as far back as the 17th century in French cookbooks. The asparagus growing beds in Northern Italy were famous during the Renaissance period. In fact, these graceful spears have always been a sign of elegance, and in times past, were a delicacy only the wealthy could afford. Sounds like thanks to its short growing season, asparagus has always been a highlight in the foodie calendar. Nowadays with globalization, you can get asparagus year-round, typically shipped in from Peru, China, Mexico, & California. However, nothing tastes as good as locally harvested asparagus. So glad that Norman shares his harvest with the Southside CSA!
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Filed under: Recipes | Tagged: asparagus, pesto, pickles, Raw recipes, Savory Ideas, soup | 1 Comment »
One of our members, Alexandra, is doing a fun natural foods cooking class at Spacecraft on Monday May 30th – a great kid & parent activity for the holiday.
