The Market Basket in Beulah is open, local asparagus is on sale, and Beulah’s Phoenix Café is serving a different kind of asparagus soup everyday.

Don’t worry—Benzie County doesn’t have a monopoly on these emerald green spears. You can find fresh picked, local asparagus at farms and grocery stores all over Northwestern Michigan.

Did you know?

• Asparagus is a great source of folic acid.
• Asparagus has less than four calories per spear.
• Asparagus is a member of the lily family.
• The U.S. is one of the top importers and exporters of asparagus.

Find It!

• There are 18 farms from Manistee County to the Mackinac Bridge that sell asparagus. To find a farm, visit www.localdifference.org, click on “Find a Farm,” click on “asparagus” and the county you’re interested in, and then click “Find it.”
• There are also plenty of retail stores, including Leelanau Produce LLC and Market Basket, that have fresh, local asparagus in stock. Search for them on www.localdifference.org. (Click on “Find a Farm,” then on asparagus…)

Try it!

• Asparagus is a quick-cooking vegetable. Snap off the thick, tough ends, wash ’em off (the tips have a way of collecting grit), and boil them until they’re bright green and crisp tender. If you’re dealing with skinny stalks, you can sauté them without boiling them first.
• I like to sauté some chopped red onion and chopped asparagus in olive oil and soy sauce, then top it off with a fried egg and a little black pepper. Add some toast, and you’ve got a light dinner or a hearty breakfast for one.
• Asparagus is a primo ingredient for pasta primavera. Spring vegetables for spring pasta, right? Try some local asparagus, local mushrooms (yes, mushrooms are in season too!), green onions from your garden, a generous helping of garlic, a splash of dry white wine, and grated Gruyère or Parmesan cheese with penne pasta.
• Quiche! Toss six or seven spears worth of chopped, blanched asparagus into your favorite basic quiche recipe. If you don’t have a favorite quiche recipe, beat three or four eggs in a bowl with 3/4 cups of milk (half and half, if you’re feeling decadent), add a cup of grated Swiss cheese, season with salt, pepper and a dash of nutmeg, and then add the asparagus. Pour the mixture into a pie shell and bake it at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, until the quiche “sets” in the middle. Any excess filling can be cooked as individual crustless quiches in a muffin pan or a small ovenproof dish.
• An asparagus soup recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook:                                                     Two pounds fresh asparagus

11/2 tbsp butter
2 cups chopped onion
11/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp flour
2 cups water
2 cups hot milk
2 tsp dill
½ tsp tarragon
Pepper

1. Break off and discard tough asparagus bottoms. Slice off tips and set them aside. Chop the stalks into 1-inch pieces.
2. Sauté the onion and asparagus stalks in the butter and salt for about 10 minutes over medium heat. When the onions are transparent and soft, sprinkle in 2 tbsp flour, stirring constantly for another 8-10 minutes.
3. Add water, stirring constantly. Heat to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. After about five minutes, sprinkle in the last tablespoon of flour, mixing well, then cook for another 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Purée the soup with the milk in a food processor or blender. Purée the soup in batches and have an empty pot on hand for the purée. Season the purée with the dill, tarragon and pepper.
5. Cut the reserved asparagus tips into small pieces, and steam until just tender. Add these to the soup, heat very gently (don’t boil), and serve immediately.