Another wonderful vegetable you will be finding at the markets this time of year (usually a bit earlier in May actually) is Asparagus.  So, to go with my ‘market fresh recipe’ theme like yesterday’s Rhubarb recipe here’s a wonderful new way to prepare asparagus that Diane made the other night.  The reaction of the consumers was to give it an A+.

Asparagus Vinaigrette Salad

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds fresh asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/3 cup sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup cider or white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions

1. In a saucepan, cook the asparagus in a small amount of water for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Place in a bowl; add pimientos and onions. In a small bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, basil, salt, pepper and thyme; pour over asparagus mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with a slotted spoon.

The other day at my woman’s group the host made this delicious Rhubarb Dessert.  I requested the recipe at once and was given permission to share it with you all as well.

I’m going to try to post ‘in season’ recipes for delicious foods you can find at your local farmer’s market.  Stop by frequently to see what we’ve created!

EASY RHUBARB DESSERT

~Sue Karman

10 cup diced rhubarb (I found this growing wild by my fence line)
1 (3oz) pkg. strawberry jello
1 cup sugar
1 cup half & half  (milk or water can replace the half & half if you prefer)
1 stick butter melted
1 yellow cake mix (dry)
1 cup oatmeal
In a 9x13" cake pan, layer rhubarb, jello, sugar, then cake mix. Pour Half& Half over 
all. Sprinkle oatmeal evenly over the cake mix. Drizzle melted butter on top.

Bake 1 hour @350 My favorite way to serve this is warm with ice cream!!

Enjoy!

Once again – we missed the full bloom for apple blossom days.  Last year they were a week early, this year a week late.  Next year will be the year we get it right for sure!  I did snap some great pictures though so at least I can share these with you.  The view from my back deck.

The view from the lookout deck. Cedi and Papa in the apple blossoms.  

Capri hanging out in the blossoms…(actually she was having a melt down but you can’t see it from this distance)

I’ll be uploading more to Lapacek’s Orchard flickr site soon if you want to see more great pictures. 

a sneak peak…

And I realize this is not a apple blossom but I’m super excited that our very first tulips are blooming!

Happy Mother’s Day to all!  WOW!  What a gorgeous day it is out there right now and it looks like it’s going to stay that way for a bit anyway.

If you completely spaced that today is Mother’s Day feel free to stop out during Apple Blossom Days and pick something up for Mom.  We have lots of great gift ideas from flowers to quilts to jewelry to a fun assortment of canned goods.  We even have cards that mom can plant later to create a beautiful flower garden!

Since it seems like we don’t have any luck planning this event there are no apple blossoms this week (next week looks like it will be beautiful though) – but we did manage to find a few trees with blossoms – not apple but PLUM!  My magnolia tree is also in bloom right now but it’s pretty little. 

We also have some cute “baby” chicks for you to visit with on your next stop out! 

With that, I will wish you all a happy and beautiful mother’s day!  Enjoy it to the fullest and we’ll see you at the orchard!

I am proud to announce that our new little girl, Persimoni ‘Pip’ Mae decided to join us on April 28th.  Everyone is doing great and the girls are enjoying their beautiful new baby sister.  ab