Spring Market AT THE
WORDS VICKI RAVLICH-HORAN | IMAGES ALEX SPODYNEIKO
After a long cold winter, spring is always eagerly anticipated. And this is just as true for our growers and producers. As the days get longer and warmer, some seasonal favourites, like asparagus and strawberries, will start to pop up at the market.
Irene Cummings from Greenfern Asparagus says, “Being a seasonal stall holder, I am always blown away by how welcoming all the regular customers are and impressed by the number of people who regularly come out to support the markets.” Armed with beautiful organic asparagus, including white and purple varieties, Irene is often asked how she cooks them. “My usual reply,” Irene says, “is by bringing a fry-pan of salted water to the boil and then placing the spears in for two to three minutes, depending on the size, and serving quickly with a knob of butter, or squeeze of lemon juice. I like the spears to have a ‘bite’ to them.” When buying asparagus Irene’s tips are to look for fresh bright spears that are firm and not floppy with tightly furled tips. Keep refrigerated with butt ends either wrapped in wet paper towels or stand up
THIS SEASON TRY White Asparagus – or ‘white gold’ to many of the Europeans who grew up eating this delicacy. Grown in covered tunnel houses with no light coming in, these albino-like spears lack the chlorophyll that gives the green version their colour.
IMAGE: SUPPLIED PAGE 40 | WWW.NOURISHMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
