Asparagus

I grew up eating asparagus. It was NOT my favorite.

I can eat at least this much!

In the small town we grew up in, my mom used to harvest it wild from the sides of a ditch not far from our house. This wasn't a strange thing. She had other sources for rhubarb and Potawatomi plums. I read somewhere that the pioneers planted these things along the ditch banks and waterways as a food source and although they might not still exist, I know for a fact that they were there during the 70s. 

The asparagus my mom brought home was usually big and bulbous, too green and reedy. She would simply boil it in hot water and transfer it to the table. Not good!

Yumm!!!

So the first time my sweetie brought home asparagus, I was less than thrilled. I love most vegetables, and he wanted to try his hand at one of the few I was not at all interested in eating. When he produced the thin tender stalks from the grocery bag, my heart (and my palate) softened a little. These only vaguely resembled the over-sized reeds I grew up with. 

Other than pasta, I don't believe my sweetie ever boils anything in water! Happily, he coated these in olive oil and Italian spices and roasted them in the oven. They were delicious! Although I still didn't like the straight ends which were difficult to chew. 

As time slid by, we learned that those ends were supposed to be discarded and never eaten. The younger, slender stalks had less that had to be removed while the bigger, older stalks were almost all reedy.

You ate the last one!

So yesterday at the store, my sweetie picked up two bundles of sweet green asparagus. I thought that was a bit overkill, but since I'm now a fan, I wasn't about to complain. He roasted them our traditional way with olive oil and spices. When he served them up there were so many he had to put them on a tray instead of a plate. 

Most of the kids turned up their noses and refused to try them, so Drama Queen and I proceeded to swallow them down like pieces of candy. Even though Scout refused at first, she was intrigued by our enjoyment and it wasn't long before she decided to give it a try. 

After one bite and a huge smile, she pulled the tray in front of her and abandoned her chicken and potatoes. She was eating them with both hands when the Dog Walker pulled out the camera. I guess next time we better go for three bundles.

Otherwise I might not get any. Mom would have been proud.