First Asparagus of the Season

I was so thrilled when we bought our house to learn that it came with a mature patch of asparagus.  Every spring, I eagerly anticipate snapping off the asparagus shoots as they emerge.  Last weekend, we could just see the tips of the first shoots, and I was disappointed to see that some slugs or snails also seemed to be enjoying MY asparagus.

Today, four asparagus shoots (ranging in length from six to twelve inches) were slug free and ready to harvest--the perfect amount to add to our dinner.  It was also great to have my son help snap the shoots in the garden and talk about how they were going to be part of our dinner.

Then, I committed a cooking foul.

I burned the asparagus.  

Gasp!

After a moment of panic, I realized that since the shoots in our yard are really fat I could easily cut away the burned parts and still have enough to eat.

Gigantic sigh of relief.

The asparagus was so delicious.  Tender, melt-in-my-mouth delicious.  I LOVE fresh spring asparagus.

Skillet Asparagus 

Fresh asparagus
Grapeseed oil
Salt
Pepper 

Heat skillet with grapeseed oil on medium high.  Add asparagus (either whole or like today broken into bite sized pieces) and a little salt and pepper.  Cover and cook just a few minutes until asparagus are bright green (not black!).

And look, there are more shoots in the strawberry patch waiting to grow just a bit bigger this week! Yum, yum, yum!