Hello friends & food enthusiasts!
Spring is finally here! We have seen a lot of rain,
but the days in between have been absolutely beautiful. I'm
excited to announce that a few of our farmers have called us with
news of some of my most favorite crops sprouting up: fresh
asparagus & ripe strawberries! It's funny how when you become
involved with local foods your months are defined by the produce it
produces. Spring officially starts for me when these local beauties
first arrive for us to enjoy- & they are finally here!! Phew, I
can completely shake off winter, at last.
If you aren't quite as excited about asparagus
& strawberries as I am, here are a few fun facts about each
that might inspire you to add them to plate this month:
◦ Asparagus is a member of the Lily family.
◦ A well cared for asparagus planting will
generally produce for about 15 years without being replanted.
◦ The larger the diameter, the better the
quality!
◦ Asparagus is a nutrient-dense food which in high
in Folic Acid and is a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6,
vitamins A and C, and thiamin.
◦ Asparagus has NO fat, contains NO cholesterol and
is low in sodium.
◦ There is a recipe for asparagus in the oldest
surviving cookbooks that dates back to the third century AD.
◦ White asparagus has been called "white gold",
"edible ivory" and "the royal vegetable"
◦ Asparagus is best planted near tomatoes as each
plant repels bugs that bother the other
◦ Strawberries are the only fruit that have their
seeds on the outside. Those tiny little flecks are future
strawberries, provided you don't chomp them down first. And if
you're looking to start your own garden, you only really need one
piece of fruit to get going. The average strawberry has a whopping
200 seeds!
◦ The ancient Romans believed that strawberries
helped alleviate symptoms of melancholy, inflammation, fainting,
fevers, blood disease, and pretty much any other ailment you could
think of. Medieval stone masons used to carve strawberry designs on
their altars and all around the tops of cathedrals and churches, as
a symbol of perfection and righteousness.
◦ Are strawberries really a berry? Actually,
strawberries are a member of the rose family, and are really high
in Vitamin C, (which most people don't give strawberries credit
for). In fact, just 8 strawberries have more Vitamin C content than
a medium-sized orange!
◦ In France, strawberries are considered an
aphrodisiac, and in mythology the strawberry is the symbol of
Venus, the goddess of love. In the folklore of several cultures it
is believed that if two people split and share a double strawberry
they will fall in love.
◦ Strawberries are eaten by 94 percent of
Americans! The average U.S. resident eats about 3.4 pounds of fresh
strawberries a year, and an additional 1.8 pounds of the frozen
stuff. More than half of kids between ages seven and nine listed
strawberries as their favorite fruit, so give them a shot if you've
got a picky eater at home.
You will begin to see (if you haven't already)
asparagus & strawberries on sale at your grocery store but I
highly recommend purchasing them from a local farmer to get the
freshest, most flavorful selection. You will also see them featured
this month at Thyme Square in our daily menu & for special
events. Hooray for Spring!
Hello friends & food enthusiasts!
Spring is finally here! We have seen a lot of rain, but the days
in between have been absolutely beautiful. I'm excited to
announce that a few of our farmers have called us with news of some
of my most favorite crops sprouting up: fresh asparagus & ripe
strawberries! It's funny how when you become involved with local
foods your months are defined by the produce it produces. Spring
officially starts for me when these local beauties first arrive for
us to enjoy- & they are finally here!! Phew, I can completely
shake off winter, at last.
If you aren't quite as excited about asparagus &
strawberries as I am, here are a few fun facts about each that
might inspire you to add them to plate this month:
◦ Asparagus is a member of the Lily family.
◦ A well cared for asparagus planting will generally produce for
about 15 years without being replanted.
◦ The larger the diameter, the better the quality!
◦ Asparagus is a nutrient-dense food which in high in Folic Acid
and is a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamins A
and C, and thiamin.
◦ Asparagus has NO fat, contains NO cholesterol and is low in
sodium.
◦ There is a recipe for asparagus in the oldest surviving
cookbooks that dates back to the third century AD.
◦ White asparagus has been called "white gold", "edible ivory"
and "the royal vegetable"
◦ Asparagus is best planted near tomatoes as each plant repels
bugs that bother the other
◦ Strawberries are the only fruit that have their seeds on the
outside. Those tiny little flecks are future strawberries, provided
you don't chomp them down first. And if you're looking to start
your own garden, you only really need one piece of fruit to get
going. The average strawberry has a whopping 200 seeds!
◦ The ancient Romans believed that strawberries helped alleviate
symptoms of melancholy, inflammation, fainting, fevers, blood
disease, and pretty much any other ailment you could think of.
Medieval stone masons used to carve strawberry designs on their
altars and all around the tops of cathedrals and churches, as a
symbol of perfection and righteousness.
◦ Are strawberries really a berry? Actually, strawberries are a
member of the rose family, and are really high in Vitamin C, (which
most people don't give strawberries credit for). In fact, just 8
strawberries have more Vitamin C content than a medium-sized
orange!
◦ In France, strawberries are considered an aphrodisiac, and in
mythology the strawberry is the symbol of Venus, the goddess of
love. In the folklore of several cultures it is believed that if
two people split and share a double strawberry they will fall in
love.
◦ Strawberries are eaten by 94 percent of Americans! The average
U.S. resident eats about 3.4 pounds of fresh strawberries a year,
and an additional 1.8 pounds of the frozen stuff. More than half of
kids between ages seven and nine listed strawberries as their
favorite fruit, so give them a shot if you've got a picky eater at
home.
You will begin to see (if you haven't already) asparagus &
strawberries on sale at your grocery store but I highly recommend
purchasing them from a local farmer to get the freshest, most
flavorful selection. You will also see them featured this month at
Thyme Square in our daily menu & for special events. Hooray for
Spring!