In season: asparagus

Saturday, April 11, Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. 8:30 a.m. – noon, www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com

Saturday, April 11, Heritage Sandy Springs Farmers Market, Sandy Springs. 8:30 a.m. – noon. http://sandyspringsfarmersmarket.com/

Thursday, April 16, East Atlanta Village Farmers Market, Atlanta. 4 – 8 p.m., www.farmeav.com

FOR SALE

Just coming to market: pea tendrils

Vegetables: arugula, Asian greens, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, chard, collards, endive, escarole, frisee, herbs, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, peanuts, radishes, rutabaga, spinach, spring onions, sweet potatoes, turnips, winter squash

From local reports

Burge Organic Farm in Mansfield has an asparagus patch about 200 feet long and six rows wide. “From the looks of it, I think it’s ‘Jersey Knight,’ a variety that’s mostly green with a purple tip,” said Josh Plymale, the farm’s manager.

Asparagus is one of the perennial vegetables. Plant it, weed it and in about three years’ time, the plants will start offering a harvestable crop and keep on doing so as long as the crop is kept tended. Plymale estimates the Burge patch to be about five years old.

“For most of the year, there’s not a lot of maintenance. We keep it weeded and after the first frost, we go in and cut down all the dead growth. We also give the patch plenty of compost. It’s when spring comes that growing asparagus is a real challenge. It’s like a baby because it requires quite a bit of attention,” he said.

When the spears begin to emerge, they can grow really quickly. Farm hands have to harvest spears sometimes twice a day, and weed constantly to keep the competition down. “You’ll harvest in the morning, cutting the spears when they’re six to eight inches long, and when you come back in the afternoon, a whole new crop will be ready. During the five weeks of harvest, you’ll have invested quite a bit of time in your asparagus patch.”

Burge Organic Farm sells its produce at the year-round Saturday morning Morningside Farmers Market. They’ll also be selling at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market when it opens for the season this Saturday. They also sell to restaurants and have a community-supported agriculture program with pick-ups on the farm, in Covington and in Atlanta.

When Plymale gets to eat his asparagus, he keeps it simple. “I like to cook it with butter, salt and pepper, maybe some garlic. Maybe add some shaved Parmesan or lemon. That’s about as fancy as I get.”

His customers may also keep it simple, or they may have more extravagant plans in mind. One thing is certain, they are excited when the first asparagus comes to market. “Asparagus and strawberries are the gun that start off the race of the whole season. I can remember the first day we had asparagus last season at Morningside. Our entire harvest was gone in 25 minutes.”

Asparagus Ravioli

If you’ve ever wanted to make ravioli, this recipe is an easy introduction. Wonton wrappers are available in the produce section of most grocery stores.

1 pound asparagus, tough ends removed

1/4 cup part-skim ricotta

1/4 cup Neuchatel cream cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 cloves garlic

Salt, cayenne and black pepper

1 (12-ounce) package wonton wrappers

Olive oil, for brushing platter

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Freshly ground pepper and lemon zest, for garnish

Cut the tips off the asparagus and put in a small bowl. Cut remaining asparagus spears into 1-inch pieces, put into a second bowl and set aside.

Put asparagus tips in a microwave-proof container. Rinse with water and drain, leaving some water on the tips. Cover with a piece of parchment or waxed paper and cook on high 2 minutes or until tips turn bright green and are tender. Remove from microwave and pour tips onto a plate to cool. Set aside.

In the same microwave-proof container, add remainder of asparagus. Rinse and drain, leaving some water on the pieces. Cover with a piece of parchment or waxed paper and cook on high 3 minutes or until pieces are tender. Drain and put in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and add ricotta, cream cheese and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Pulse just to combine. Move to a medium bowl and taste for seasoning, adding salt, cayenne and pepper.

In a large saucepan, bring lightly salted water to a boil. Brush the surface of a serving platter with a thin layer of olive oil.

While water is coming to a boil, make ravioli: Lay out 6 wonton wrappers on a dry work surface. Keep remaining wrappers covered. Put 1 heaping teaspoon asparagus filling in center of each wrapper. Use a pastry brush to brush water on the four edges of the wrapper, then top with a second wrapper. Press edges firmly to seal. Lay filled ravioli on a clean, dry work surface. Continue with remaining wrappers and filling.

When water is boiling, carefully drop ravioli into water. Do not crowd pot. Ravioli will drop to the bottom then rise to the surface. After 1 minute, the ravioli are done. Drain ravioli carefully and arrange on prepared platter.

In a large skillet, melt butter and heat until lightly browned. Add reserved asparagus tips and saute 1 minute or until tips are heated through. Pour butter and tips over ravioli. Garnish with black pepper and lemon zest, if desired. Serve immediately. Serves: 6

Per serving: 281 calories (percent of calories from fat, 34), 10 grams protein, 36 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 10 grams fat (5 grams saturated), 27 milligrams cholesterol, 467 milligrams sodium.