Spring Favorites Have Arrived!

Luscious Local Asparagus, Morels and Strawberries…Oh My!

Can you find a favorite new combo in your spring favorites?

Spring may have been a little early this year, yet it still felt like a long wait for some of our favorite seasonal goodies to arrive. But now we're getting them all - all at once! Snap peas and asparagus, morel and porcini mushrooms, tender local lettuces and tasty basil. And, of course, the sweet treat that always requires the most patience: Local strawberries!

The flood of fabulous produce can be overwhelming, so let's talk about some of our favorite new combinations - to help inspire your next trip to the market. 

Earthy and airy - mix mushrooms with green shoots that reach for the sky! Sauté morel mushrooms - with plenty of butter and leeks - and toss in tender asparagus stalks for the last minute or two or infuse a cream sauce with intense porcini mushrooms, then toss with pasta and pea shoots. The magic here is combining the earthy intensity of spring's best mushrooms with the light, green, fresh flavor of the tenderest new shoots like asparagus and pea shoots.

A similar earthy/light combination: tender roots two ways. Take two bunches of crisp local radishes or little hakurei turnips and slice one bunch thin, and roast the other. Toss together in a salad full of spring herbs and you get the satisfying heft of roasted roots with the crunchy cool of a salad! 

Another great combo? Strawberries with something savory! Oregon's Strawberry season is ON, and we want to use them in everything - starting with a sweet/savory drink! We blend strawberries with ice, a little lemon, sugar and savory basil for a sophisticated cooler. We also love these tart, firmer early-season strawberries in a salad with the first of the season local lettuces or snap peas. Slice your peas thin and the sweet crunch will play perfectly with tart strawberries. 

Of course, there are so many combinations to explore - let us know your favorites! And we'll see you at the market!