This is the Dawning of the Age of Asparagus
Cold spring be damned, the asparagus has arrived. My visit to this morning’s first Green City Wednesday market enabled me to renew a decade-long ritual of photographing the first-of-the-season asparagus from Mick Klug Farm in St. Joseph, Michigan.
I believe this is one of the more charming of my many eccentricities. Here’s the first of the series, taken May 4, 2013… exactly nine years to the day.
In the spirit of spreading my money around, I also bought a batch from Ellis Family Farms of Benton Harbor, Michigan. I was curious why some of the stalks were so curly, and owner René Ellis Gelder told me it was asparagus desperately seeking sunlight after these past weeks of cloudy weather. When the sun finally came out, the asparagus bent in that direction and just finished growing that way.
I don’t know what house the moon is in or whether Jupiter aligns with Mars, but it is definitely the dawning of this year’s age of asparagus.
It was chilly this morning (fortunately sans yesterday’s ceaseless rain), and well short of the full complement of mid-season vendors. I nonetheless did okay with my market haul.
The asparagus flanks cremini mushrooms from River Valley Ranch (Burlington, Wisconsin) and potatoes from Jacobson Family Farms (Antioch, Illinois). In the background from left are two tofu salads from Phoenix Bean Tofu, bagels from Flat & Point, and traditional sourdough from pHlour bakery; all three of these vendors are in Chicago.
Plus, when I got home, waiting for me was a delivery of green things from Three Sisters Garden in Kankakee, Illinois.
Front left are horseradish leaves (with just a hint of the sharpness of horseradish root), Cherokee Sweet Mint, and bergamot. And I will give a shoutout to the first person who comments with the familiar beverage that is flavored with bergamot.
Front right is a big bag of pea tendrils, and in the back two big bunches of spring onions.
I’m sending this out before 10 a.m., which means you may still have time to visit Green City Market before its 1 p.m. closing time. Or you can go to opening day at Uptown Farmers Market from 3 to 7 p.m.
Gray Skies are Gonna Clear Up
Put on a happy face.