It’s finally time. Asparagus season is here and the newly harvested vegetable is starting to trickle into the stores. This bright spear is only available locally for the next month or 2 and we eat it in everything. We grill it, steam it, roast it, bake it, stir fry it and even microwave it. These yummy stalks are the star of my Soup of the Month for May… Asparagus, Chicken and Wild Rice Soup.
Before I get to the soup here are the vegetables that are starting to show up this month. We are beginning to see a greater variety of locally grown foods. A few of our local Farmer’s Markets have opened but the majority won’t open until the first week of June.
Fresh Produce in May
- Asparagus
- Artichokes
- Broccoli
- Chives
- Green Onions
- Kale
- Mushrooms
- Spinach
- Spring Peas
- Radishes
This list represents what I am seeing in my part of the country. You might find other fresh options if you live in a southern climate. Going to Farmers Markets and talking to your store Produce Manager can help you to find the freshest, local options where you live. And certainly you can grow some of these vegetables yourself.
We have a small asparagus patch that we are slowly growing in size. Right now I can get one meal per week for about 4-5 weeks. But my hope is to continue expanding my growing area. Once you plant the seeds, it takes 3-4 years of growing seasons to get nice size asparagus spears. We have added sections each year but only one section is currently harvest-able. In addition to the asparagus, I have also been using chives and green onions from my garden as well as some of the perennial herbs like sage, oregano and mint.
A creamy soup that showcases fresh in-season asparagus.
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 large carrots, sliced
- 5-6 small mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 6-8 large asparagus spears, 1 inch pieces
- 2 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
- 1/2 cup wild rice
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup 1% or 2% milk
- 1/2 tsp thyme, dried (1 tsp fresh)
- 1/4 tsp pepper
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Saute onion in olive oil until tender about 2 minutes. Add garlic and saute an additional minute.
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Stir in the chicken broth, wild rice and seasonings. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
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Add in the celery, carrots and mushrooms and continue cooking soup until vegetables are starting to soften (10-15 mins.)
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Stir in the asparagus and chicken. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes.
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Slowly blend milk into the flour, just a tbsp or 2 at a time to form a thick mixture. Stir this into your soup until blended. Simmer the soup until the broth has thickened and the asparagus is tender but not mushy.
Even though the temperature is starting to warm up, soup is still a wonderful filling meal option. And this creamy asparagus laced soup will have you refilling your bowl.