June, Lemon Asparagus Pasta

 
  [Lemon Asparagus Pasta Recipe Here]


Inspired by the Minneapolis North Lyndale Farmers Market and Simply in Season:  A World Community Cookbook. 


June- This month, I am feeling inspired by the North Lyndale Farmers Market. I like that it's big and overwhelming and even at 7:30am there are people eating roasted corn on the cob with chili and lime and dancing to live music.  I have gone for the last two Saturdays, with $15 in my pocket and no plan on how to spend it.

This past weekend, that got me asparagus, baby bok choy, spinach, rhubarb, a small box of strawberries, and a small piece of peppered bison jerky.  The bison jerky I ate with bread and cheese and olives (first time eating bison.  delicious.)  For the greener ingredients, I consulted my favorite seasonal recipe book:  Simply In Season, Recipes that celebrate fresh, local foods in the spirit of More-with-Less, and made a Lemon Asparagus Pasta garnished with fresh dill and nutmeg, and a spinach salad with walnuts, dried cranberries with an apple cider and balsamic vinegrette.  The rhubarb and strawberries I roasted with some green apples I had lying around in my fridge, and took them to a friend's cookout to serve over ice cream as dessert.   

It wasn't until later in the week that I got to the baby bok choy-- mostly because I had no idea what to do with it-- but then I found  this YouTube video that teaches how to make garlicky sauteed bok choy to a background of Mission Impossible theme music.  Awesome.  

Call to action this month:  head to the farmers market nearest to you, spend $15 on whatever looks most interesting, then figure out what to do with it when you get home.  Better yet, invite some friends over, make it a Project Cook night, and let us know how it goes.  Cheers!