Sunday, May 8, 2011

Flooding and Spring Harvesting


With record amounts of snow this winter, those living in the Lake Champlain area knew that our spring was going to be soggy. Dealing with melting snow and then receiving record amounts of rain in April, it met flooding for many communities around the Lake Champlain valley this year.

As always, hearty "Islanders" are surviving this obstacle with the added difficulty of getting on and off the the Lake Champlain Islands. We hope with many days of sunny weather the lake will finally recede. Everyone including gardeners can then begin the clean up of debris and putting in their gardens.

It is amazing how hardy perennials are. Even with all this rain, they are persistent as they poke through the wet ground. Herbs like sage, tarragon, chives, and thyme among others are growing quickly. Asparagus, horseradish and rhubarb are poking out of the soggy soil also along with daffodils, tulips, bleeding hearts and all the early blossoming perennails.

As gardeners, we are so pleased to see life among the flooding. It brings joy and satifsfaction that even though some things may not be pleasant, life still continues on a cycle.

We are now harvesting asparagus and thought you might enjoy an easy recipe for a quiche using this delicious early spring vegetable. It is quick, easy and very tasty. Great for a brunch, lunch or a light dinner.

ASPARAGUS QUICHE RECIPE
2 cups of fresh asparagus chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
olive oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Favorite pie crust recipe

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place pie dough into pie pan and pre-cook crust for 15minutes. Let cool for several minutes. While crust cools, saute chopped asparagus and onion in a saute pan until tender. Let cool. While the onion and asparagus cool, whisk four eggs into medium sized bowl. Add cream, cheeses,salt and pepper to bowl and stir until blended. Add onion and asparagus mixture to pie crust and pour egg mixture on top of the vegetables. Place in oven for 30 minutes or until golden.