A quick note to herald in the changing of seasons. The asparagus this early spring are particularly sweet and delicious. They’re grown in the Salinas Valley, supplied to us by long trusted farmer Martin Bournhonesque. The season came 10 days early this year. Martin thinks that the proximity to the sea is in part responsible for their flavor.

“Sparrow Grass”, as it was commonly called in England, has been eaten by humans for centuries. Originally found growing wild, there are records of it from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Highly nutritious and low in calories, these perennial spears were cultivated for their gastronomic, medicinal, and even aphrodisiacal virtues.

We’re serving them simply, blanched and sautéed with olive oil.