First Flavors of the Season

For me, the harbinger of summer is the arrival of strawberries, asparagus and ramps at the market. The first harvests trickle in and get scooped up immediately by lucky early bird shoppers. A few pounds, several flats, a dozen or so bunches the first week lasting less than an hour. The second week lines snake around tents as people wait patiently hoping there will be some for them when their turn arrives. There may be some available by the second hour of market. By the third week the building frenzy of nature has unleashed a torrent for everyone to enjoy.Much is written and discussed about local, heirloom and native foods which got me wondering about the seasonal trifecta of ramps, asparagus and strawberries that draws shoppers out in droves from their winter hibernation.RampsAllium tricoccu, a.k.a. wild leeks or ramps, are a wild member of the onion family native to North America that have risen from Appalachian folk tonic to culinary cult status ingredient over the last generation. Once prized as the first green edibles to break through the brown litter of last season, the emerald-green leaves delivered much-needed vitamin C for those subsisting on a foraged and seasonal diet prior to the availability of imported foods. With flavors of spring onion, shallot, garlic and chives amalgamated into a slender stalks of bunching rose-shouldered bulbs, talented chefs with a heart for fresh, seasonal ingredients began integrating ramps into seasonal menus.Three to four weeks is the extent of ramp harvest in any one location. Further limiting the supply is that it is foraged as opposed to cultivated, leaving them vulnerable to over-harvesting. Ramps are picky about where they grow, preferring damp, shaded environments and take five to seven years to regenerate from seed. Once the weather heats up, they’re done. Ramps have been at the markets for three weeks, so now is the time to get them.AsparagusThis fleeting spring crop is also in the same taxonomic family - Liliaceae - as ramps. Although asparagus does not share the pungent flavor of ramps, it is also a herbaceous perennial that can take years to establish a crop with a brief harvest season of four to six weeks.Native to northern Africa, western Asia and most of Europe, asparagus has been cultivated as food for over two thousand years. Settlers in the 1700’s brought asparagus with them to America where it became quickly established along fence rows and marginalized lands as it is drought tolerant.Market shoppers generally encounter the green and purple varieties. White asparagus is the same plant as the green or purple only the stalks have been kept covered (with dirt or plastic) to prevent them from developing their color.StrawberriesStrawberries have been harvested since early Roman times - mainly for medicinal purposes. Technically not a “berry," but an aggregate accessory fruit made up of hundreds of fleshy receptacles the seeds - those little green specks which are individual ovaries with a seed inside. Strawberries only became popular as a fruit when early European settlers returned to France from America and began crossing cultivars from throughout the world to create the modern strawberry we know today.Currently, the United States is the top producer of strawberries in the world, surpassing the combined production of the remaining top five producing countries - Turkey, Spain, Egypt and Mexico - with an annual harvest of over one million tons. This copious production is a result of breeding ever-bearing cultivars which means the plant can continue to bear fruit for an extended period, especially in more temperate areas.There are numerous cultivars which allow farmers to choose the characteristics that best serve their needs for production, taste and resistance to disease. Farmers have also developed cultivation techniques - high tunnels, plastic mulch - that allow them to extend the length of strawberry season. Look for strawberries at the markets from now through July.You may be thinking to yourself that the seasons seem to last longer but remember that the farmers of Central Farm Markets travel both from the north and south. Farmers in Virginia start harvesting prior to ones in Pennsylvania who will still have crops when their southern counterparts’ season is over.This is one of the many ways to enjoy the first tastes of summer together:Asparagus with Strawberry-Ramp VinaigretteIngredients:

• 1 bunch fresh asparagus
• 1 pint fresh strawberries
• 2 whole ramp stalks, leave & bulbs
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon each of sea salt & fresh cracked pepper

Directions:

1. Chop asparagus spears into one-inch lengths. Lightly steam 2-3 minutes.
2. In a blender, mix the remaining ingredients until smooth.
3. Toss with steamed asparagus until coated.
4. Enjoy!