It’s been said that if farmers didn’t have the weather to complain about, they’d have nothing to say. Well, we’ve had plenty to discuss this spring, as temperatures swing erratically from a balmy 80 degrees to the bone- chilling teens. Throw in a devastating ice storm earlier this year, a dusting of snow Easter weekend, and scattered flurries even as I write this in mid- April, and we’ll be talking about this weather for some time.

It is hardly idle chatter, however, when our 40- plus rosemary plants which looked like they’d make it through winter unscathed succumb instead to the ice storm. Then our asparagus, emerging oh- too early on those 80- degree days, collapsed in a sodden heap when the temperatures plunged. Our lovely redbud trees, with pea- like cerise flowers all along the stems (edible, too!) froze to a dull shadow of their once- vibrant color, and now cling lifelessly to the branches. The peas have barely sprouted, and we’ve been joking that a new food pairing this year may be sugar snap peas with tomatoes- they may ripen at the same time if this weather pattern keeps up.

All of which makes the first green sprigs that manage to shrug off winter’s lingering hold that much more precious. Phil and I eagerly seek out these precocious blooms and emerging shoots, instinctively craving both beauty and nourishment after winter’s doldrums. The first signs of spring that we search out are not garden crops, but wildflowers. Our property is bordered by woods on two sides, with mature shagbark hickory and Southern red oak providing ample food for the resident squirrel population. Dogwoods, sassafras and spicebush are among the understory plantings, and at their feet emerge the spring ephemerals that signal the end of winter: bloodroot, toothwort, windflower and wood anemone. We are so grateful for this “borrowed landscape”, which forms the edge of our neighbors’ Black Angus farm. Peering into the dark woods and spotting the clasped gray- green leaf and spotless white flower of the bloodroot gladdens our hearts and quickens our steps for the chores ahead.

Our early spring salads are composed of many edible “weeds” that carpet our garden rows with verdant growth weeks ahead of the perennial herbs. Creasy greens, or wild mustard, lend a sharp bite, with their rosettes of shiny green toothed foliage. Sheep sorrel, with lance- shaped leaves and a lemony tang, is gathered as well. And sweetly fragrant, deep purple violet blooms are plucked as an edible, eye- catching garnish. Tossed with our earliest spring lettuces, a salad such as this needs only a veil of olive oil and our best sherry vinegar to make it sing. Somehow April’s snow flurries seem a little easier to bear.

Cream of Asparagus Soup
When our asparagus does emerge, this one of our favorite ways to prepare it; a silky, satisfying soup that captures the essence of this treasured spring vegetable.
(Adapted from “The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook”, Hearst Books, 1986)

4 tablespoons butter or margarine (1/2 stick)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cups cut- up asparagus
¼ cup all- purpose flour
14 ounces chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup half-and-half
Sea salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté onion in butter until tender. Add asparagus; cook one minute.
Stir in flour until blended. Gradually stir in broth; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 to 10 minutes, until asparagus is just tender. Stir in half- and- half. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon half of asparagus mixture into blender; cover and blend at low speed until smooth. Pour mixture into bowl. Repeat with remaining asparagus mixture. (Alternately, use immersion blender to blend soup in saucepan until smooth.)
Return mixture to saucepan; heat through. Serve soup hot or cover and refrigerate to serve as a chilled soup.
Variations: Whole or lowfat milk can be substituted for the half-and- half if desired. Freshly chopped chives are a nice garnish, as are raw, tender asparagus tips.

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