It’s Asparagus Time!

Photo Courtesy of Flickr.com/calliope (Creative Commons Licensed)












Asparagus season is upon the Bay Area and markets are starting to get fresh spears of this delicious perennial cousin of the lilly family. Perhaps there will be some late season asparagus showing up in the Castro Valley Farmers Market this May!

There are many ways to prepare fresh asparagus:

Sauté spears in a pan with a few teaspoons of olive oil, salt and pepper

Boil spears in salted water with a few lemon wedges for 5 minutes

Steam asparagus spears – add 1″ of water to a shallow baking dish of spears and microwave for 5-6 minutes per pound

Grill on low for about 5 minutes – lightly brush spears with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Delicious asparagus recipes abound but here are two of my personal favorites. One was passed to me by a Castro Valley neighbor and the other was passed to me by a coworker who attends the Pinole Farmers Market on a regular basis.

Dill Tahini Sauce
From Veganomicon by Moskowitz and Romero (which by the way can be found in our very own Castro Valley Library). Use it as a salad dressing, a dip, or a sauce for cooked asparagus.
1/4 c tahini
1/4 c water
1/2 clove garlic
2 T lemon juice
1 T olive oil
1 t balsamic vinegar
1/4 t paprika
1/8 t salt
1/2 c lightly packed fresh dill
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. So easy!

Roasted Chickpeas with Asparagus and Mint
1 pound asparagus, cut into ½ -inch pieces
2 cups canned or dried/soaked chickpeas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, toss asparagus and chickpeas with oils, salt, and pepper to taste. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and place on the center rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Stir, flip, toss, etc. the vegetables and put back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes or until the asparagus is tender but not mushy and the chickpeas have started to caramelize. Remove and toss with fresh mint and lemon juice.

Farmers Market Fresh Dessert - Minted Berries

Fresh farmers market berries make a wonderful dessert












Want to serve dessert at a barbeque, holiday gathering, or dinner party but you don't want to serve anything too heavy? Why not serve up some fresh berries! Berries of all kinds are available in our farmers market beginning in May up until almost the end of September and early October. Many herbs, including fresh mint, can also be found in the farmers market.

Here is a quick, easy, healthy recipe using four kinds of berries found at the Castro Valley Farmers Market:

Minted Berries

3 tablespoons Grand Marnier or Orange Juice
1 pint strawberries, stems removed and cut in half
1 pint raspberries
1 pint blackberries
1 pint blueberries
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, torn

Gently fold together washed strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and mint. Pour Grand Marnier or Orange Juice over the berries and serve immediately. Enjoy on their own or with some ice cream (perhaps from Knudsens?) or some whipped cream. Mmmmm!

Coming Soon: The Castro Valley Farmers Market

Produce purchased at the Castro Valley Farmers Market in August 2010 - Salsa anyone?

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The Castro Valley Farmers Market will be open before we know it. In an effort to increase participation and visitors to the market, a few citizens are getting together to start a blog and help the people of Castro Valley figure out how to use the market to their advantage and create healthy, locally sourced meals at home.

This season on the blog you can look forward to:

Reports about what's in season and available at the farmers market

Recipes from local home cooks and chefs that use products from the farmers market

Reviews of cookbooks from our local library that help utilize products found in our farmers market

Special announcements and updated about the farmers market

Here are a few ways that shopping at the Farmers Market affects our community.

We can be a healthier, more environmentally conscious Castro Valley! In the age of food preservatives and additives, genetically modified proteins and produce, and E. coli outbreaks, (remember that lettuce problem a few years ago?), many people are concerned about the quality and cleanliness of the foods they eat. For example, it's nearly impossible to identify all of the pesticides used to grow and transport a cluster of grapes grown in Chile to one of our local supermarkets and, there's no washing the pesticides away - it's in the grapes. By choosing foods grown locally, we have the power to control what we put into our bodies and the bodies of our families.

Eating locally helps the local economy. Farmers on average receive only 20 cents of each food dollar spent. The rest of the money you spend on food goes to transportation, processing, packaging, refrigeration and marketing. Farmers who sell food to local customers receive full payment for the food you purchase from them. Additionally, eating locally encourages the use of local farmland for farming, helping to keep development in check and preserving open space.

More visitors to the market mean more vendors and variety at future markets. The farmers market won't attract more vendors if it's not worth their time and effort to sell at the market. Please encourage your friends and neighbors to visit the farmers market. Make a visit to the market a brunch date! Either eat a delicious pastry, sausage roll, or piece of fruit at the market where you can also enjoy some live music and a seat in the sun or, stop at one of our local diners for breakfast or a cup of coffee and then take a spin by the market afterward.

What are you looking forward to seeing at the market this year? Post a comment, please!