April Blog
Since becoming a farmer, Spring has definitely improved its ranking with me as a favorable season. Growing up, I always found it to be rainy and cold without the whimsy of winter snow or the lush color of summer. But now I find so much excitement in it with each new bud and the slow creep of fresh flavors making their way back onto my family’s dinner table.
Asparagus season feels extra special! We have several farms in the hub, (Garwood, Mick Klug and Zandstras) who grow incredible asparagus and offer tender and thin selections for delicate platings and heftier stalks for pickling and grilling. Purple asparagus will be available at the end of April, too! Whenever a certain fruit or vegetable comes into season, our family loads up on it to the point of tiring out our taste buds and being perfectly content to wait until the season returns again next year. Nothing compares to locally grown and, for me, there’s always been a heightened sense of joy anticipating and savoring the short-termed availability of these flavors.
Delightful spring radishes are ready, along with ramps and herbs and strawberries are not far behind. One of my absolute favorite recipes that celebrates Spring, is from Mrs. Dornberg’s Culinary Experience (and fellow board member, Cheryl Dornberg!) – Strawberry Asparagus Salad with Tahini Dressing. This salad makes everyone smile, I promise. It gives you the crunch you’ve been waiting for all winter; it’s savory, tangy and just sweet enough to keep you coming back for more.
Load your kitchens, pockets and freezers with all the asparagus you can! The high season is just getting started!
Anne Massie, Co-Executive Director
(and diversified vegetable farmer in Crown Point, IN)
P.S. We’ve been getting some questions lately - what IS Region Roots? For those of you following along who aren’t quite sure yet, we’d love to tell you!
Region Roots is a program of the NWI Food Council and is a mission-driven, non-profit food hub. The hub provides new market opportunities to farmers throughout NW Indiana to reach restaurants, institutions, schools and wholesale buyers. We ensure farmers receive 100% of the price they set for their products–no extractive big biz price haggling here! The hub adds a small markup to cover the cost of pick up from farms and delivery to buyers, getting fresh, locally grown products to buyers within days of harvesting. Region Roots is farmer-founded and farmer-led and continues to grow by supporting NWI Food Council programming that purchases food at fair market prices from farmers to be distributed to those who need it most. Farmers that join Region Roots have full control over their listings and get to build their relationships and capacity with the support of a growing network and team of committed coordinators. Know a farmer or wholesale buyer who might be interested? Send them our way! Our two Farm-to-Chef Coordinators, Anna and Allyssa are here for you. anna@nwifoodcouncil.org / allyssa@nwifoodcouncil.org
