Season to Season

April - good greens, edible flowers & rhubarb pie!

Ahhhhh - the winter doldrums of great fresh local food are coming to an end. The Northwest goodness is rolling into better markets near you and you can feel good about grabbing some local bounty for the table, rather than finding foods from elsewhere.

Asparagus - When I was a kid, Mom used to boil it until it was a pulpy light green. I missed out on the rich flavor and all the vitamins that were leached out during the boil. Today I've learned to love asparagus again. My way of cooking it is simple. In a large ramekin, make a slurry of extra light (not virgin) olive oil, fresh pressed garlic, potassium (always a great sub for salt) and fresh ground pepper. Place the asparagus onto a large sheet of foil and baste it with the slurry. Wrap it up and place it on the BBQ with whatever protein you're cooking as its partner.

Asparagus is one of those plants that grows above ground and gets fertilized as such. Thus, choose organic when you buy and wash it well when you get it home - even if you think the grocer already washed it - because we don't really know - do we?

Basil - basil from the hot house is making its way into stores now. There's so much you can do with it. From making delicious salads to to pesto, to using it raw over a simple pho soup, it seems we just can't get enough and then - boom - summer is gone!

You know it's not cheap and won't last forever in the fridge, so try planting a few bushes around the yard for your own picking on demand. Even though the season chart says it's still spring, keep it in pots inside the house near light and don't move it outside until May when the chance of a freeze is well past. If you trim it well, it will keep giving and giving throughout the summer.

Edible Flowers - As long as you're going to celebrate spring, you might as well do it with edible flowers. Add some great color to salads and garnish entrees with things like pansies, snap dragon and even organic rose petals. Check with one of the better nurseries like Sky or Swanson's to round up a few things to plant in your home garden.

New Potatoes - Washington state has an abundant crop of potatoes of all Northwest varieties. New potatoes are just getting into the markets now. They come in a number of varieties ranging from whites to reds. As is often the case, if you choose organic, you'll probably end up with small potatoes.

My favorite part of any potato is the skin. So smaller potatoes means I get more skin per pound. That's good if I want to shred up some skins, dice some onions and peppers and mince some corned beef for a delicious corned beef hash you can make at home easily. Toss in a little rosemary and thyme and you'll wonder why you haven't been eating this more often.

Recently I've been making baked french fries. Slice any potato lengthwise into fry size lengths - skin on, toss in light olive oil with potassium (salt substitute) and some chili powder, then bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes. Good and good for ya!

Rhubarb - I know, I know - there's been a lot of rhubarb in the stores since December. But was it from the Northwest? Well, it is now. Did you know Sumner,  Washington, claims they are the Rhubarb Pie capitol of the world? True. And thus they have dozens of recipes on their website for you to enjoy. Simply search "Washington Rhubarb recipes" and you'll find the link to their site.

Spring Chinook - The Spring Chinook Salmon season opened March 1st on the Columbia River. The counts are expected to be higher this year than average, so you should have no trouble finding the slippery guys and gals in better markets. Just make sure they are local when possible.

Summer Chinook - Later in April, stats will become available for the summer run on the Columbia. If you're down in the Gorge area, there's no better way to buy summer caught salmon than locating a native American selling fresh caught nearby. They usually pull into several parking lots along the river from mid- to late-morning with some tasty big boys. One common lot is the Best Western Hotel in Cascade Locks right next to a common tribal fishing area. Another is the lot on the northwest end of the Hood River bridge.

Bes sure to wash your fruits and veggies well and we'll see you next month.

TM/April 2015