Recipes for Asparagus, Strawberry and Fresh Lettuce
Even though the weather was cool, the Charleston Farmer's Market opened on schedule. In addition to the asparagus and lettuce we hoped to find, we were excited to see that the season's first strawberries had made an appearance. We waited until we got to the market to plan Saturday's dinner and as we walked through the area, decided on steamed asparagus rolled in ham slices and served with a light cream sauce along with mixed greens tossed in a vinaigrette dressing. Making a decision on how to use the strawberries was difficult, so we've offered two ideas. The strawberry sorbet is incredible - the taste is so refreshing it's almost like eating liquified cold strawberries. If you don't have an ice cream maker, you might prefer to try our version of Strawberries Romanoff.
The Market has grown to almost fifty families who supply a wide range of products including beautiful produce that changes weekly as more fruits and vegetables come into season, local honey, all types of mushrooms, herb plants and cut flowers as well as food products such as numerous varieties of bread, boiled peanuts, and cookies. You can have breakfast during your trip through the Market, anything from coffee and a croissant to an omelet and grits. Later this week, we will make pasta primavera with more of the asparagus and we plan to try Portabella Fajitas with some of the mushrooms we bought. As the seasons progress, we look forward to providing recipes for tomatoes, corn, fresh herbs, peaches, blueberries, and more. We hope to see you at the Market one Saturday.
