What is it about May? Something about the month of May brings new hope. Is it the explosion of flowers and leaves? Is it the warm sun and spring showers? Maybe it’s the near end of the school year with its ensuing new beginnings. In any case, May seems to have changed the mood of most everyone I know. There’s talk of gardening, of outside activities, of travel. After a cold and hard winter and months of hibernation, I am slowly stretching my spring legs. I’m back on my bike and walking in the woods and, this week, I even planted a shade garden in my backyard. To be able to once again smell the earth under foot and get it caught under the fingernails, that is the lure of the month of May.
At the market this week, I see asparagus, radishes, rhubarb and green onions joining the spinach and the greens. It makes me happy to finally see the first products of this year’s earth/human collaboration. All of sudden a new window of menus and food preparation opens up. It’s time to take full advantage of the season’s weekly offerings. This year, there’s new meaning to the word “local”. With the price of gas continually rising, which in turn pushes the price of food up, it’s good to be able to buy from the farmer just next door, and know that I’m not paying for transportation of my food across the country. Local also means minimal storage time and less energy use for storage. I can buy the food at the market and use it that day for mealtime. I know that it is fresh and that means more healthy for me. I sometimes hear people say, “I have a hard time doing that “ (going to the market, making my own food, buying local,etc...). I think it is a matter of priorities and choices. We can do all kinds of things if we set ourselves to the task. The one I’m working on right now is remembering to take my own bags to the grocery store. It’s just a matter of changing my routine, and remembering to put my reusable bags in the same place so I’ll have them to use when I shop.
So I did just that. I bought asparagus. I chose the regular variety even though there were some beautiful Purple Passion asparagus. I bought some rhubarb and green onions and radishes. I made the first rhubarb crunch of the season. I mixed the radishes in with other veggies to roast. I chopped the green onions for a salad. With the asparagus, I decided to make my own version of Cream of Asparagus soup, using some collard greens I also found at the market. And, all of a sudden, my mood is changing also. Life seems limitless: there’s so much out there to see and explore, and so much still left to taste!

Cream of Asparagus Soup

1 c. chopped onions
3 leeks, washed and sliced
1 t. salt
2 t. dried tarragon
2 T. canola oil
2 pounds fresh asparagus
4 c. water
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
4 c. 1% milk
4 c. collard greens, loosely packed
salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pot, sauté onions, leeks, salt and tarragon in oil until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes.
While above mixture cooks, chop asparagus. Add chopped asparagus and water to the soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the asparagus is tender. In another small saucepan, melt butter and whisk in flour, stirring a few minutes. Whisk in milk and stir until thickened. Add to the soup pot.
Steam the collard greens until tender. Add to the soup pot. Heat slowly until hot. B lend with handheld blender. Makes enough for 12.