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Choosing Fresh Asparagus. For the best quality, select straight green stalks with closed, compact tips. Look for spears of uniform size, so all stalks will cook in the same amount of time.

Myth: Thin spears are more tender - not true! Medium and thicker spears are equally tender and flavorful.

Storing Fresh Asparagus. To keep its freshness longer, refrigerate asparagus upright in two inches of cold water. Cover loosely.

Fresh Asparagus Soup

Cook asparagus in covered saucepan with onion and 1/2 cup chicken broth 6-8 minutes or until asparagus is just tender. Press through food mill or blend in electric blender until smooth. Melt butter or margarine; blend in flour, salt and pepper. Stir in remaining chicken broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches boiling point. Stir in asparagus puree and milk. Stir a little hot mixture into sour cream; stir into hot mixture. Add lemon juice. Heat just to serving temperature, stirring frequently. Serve with a sprinkling of fresh chives, as desired. Makes about 4 cups. Note: We like to prepare the soup, leaving out the dairy products and lemon juice, and freeze this for later use. Later, just thaw the frozen soup, add the sour cream, milk and lemon juice for a quick meal!

Asparagus Spice Cookies

Blend all ingredients and mix well. Drop by teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until light brown in color. Makes about 3 dozen.

Pickled Asparagus

Snap off tough ends of asparagus. Pack asparagus tightly into hot sterilized wide-mouthed jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Place a clove of garlic in each jar. Remove cloves from pickling spices; reserve cloves for other uses. Combine pickling spice and remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Pour vinegar mixture over asparagus, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Cover at once with metal lids, and screw bands tight. Process in boiling-water bath 15 minutes. Yield: 3 pints.

Asparagus Pasta Salad

Cook fresh asparagus and drain well. In mixing bowl combine asparagus, tomatoes, olives and parsley. In a screw-top jar combine vinegar, oil, garlic, oregano, marjoram, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and dash pepper; cover and shake. Pour dressing over asparagus mixture. Cover and chill. Cook pasta according to pkg. directions. Drain; rinse with cold water, then drain again. Continue rinsing and draining till pasta is thoroughly chilled. Turn thoroughly drained pasta into a salad bowl. Spoon vegetables and dressing atop; toss well. Serves 6.

Asparagus Divine

Cook asparagus, drain, Put on bottom of 9x5 pan. Remove skin and bones of chicken. Slice. Place on top of asparagus. Melt butter in a frying pan. Blend in flour and slowly add chicken broth. Add whipping cream, sherry, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese to the mixture. Pour over chicken and asparagus. Top with mixture of grated Mozzarella and Colby cheese, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour or until golden brown. Serve over rice or potatoes. Serves 4.

Rhubarb is a vegetable, but we cook, eat and enjoy it as a fruit. Look for fresh, firm, and crisp stalks. Color? Usually pink or cherry red, although some good quality stems will be predominantly light green. Rhubarb wilts rapidly at room temperature, so you should always refrigerate it.

Since the rhubarb season overlaps with asparagus harvest, we have planted quite a bit of this spring vegetable next to our asparagus field. From a nutrition standpoint, rhubarb contributes to the daily ration of vitamin A and C.

Spicy Rhubarb Cake

Pour boiling water on rhubarb in large mixing bowl. Grease and flour 13"x19"x2" pan. Beat rhubarb and remaining ingredients on low speed, 1 minute, then beat on medium speed, 2 minutes. Pour into pan. Bake at 350 degrees 45-50 minutes; cool and frost with favorite frosting.

EGGPLANT

Eggplant Salad with Basil

From the Silver Plate cookbook, thanks to Cindy Penzler.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a roasting pan with foil and add eggplant. Toss with 1/2 cup olive oil, the coarse salt and minced garlic. Bake 35 minutes, or until eggplant is soft but not mushy. Cool slightly and transfer to large bowl.

Heat remaining olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, covered, over low heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Add onions to eggplant. Season generously with black pepper. Add fresh basil and lemon juice; toss. Adjust seasonings and serve at room temperature. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Eggplant Creole Style

Cut eggplant in slices 3/4 inch thick. Pare and cut slices into cubes. Cook in boiling water until tender, aboiut 15 minutes. Let drain in colander.

Peel and chop onion. Chop green pepper. Saute in butter until tender. Add drained eggplant, a few breadcrumbs, salt & pepper, cut-up tomatoes and Worchestershire sauce. Let simmer a few minutes, then pour all into baking dish and dot with pieces of sharp cheese. Bake in oven about 15 minutes at 325 F until it bubbles and cheese melts.

Coquille Lindey

House recipe of Lindey's Restaurant, Columbus, Ohio

Boil eggplant until tender, approximately 30 minutes. Peel, cut in half, remove seeds and chop finely. Wet bread, let stand. Saute both kinds of onions in butter until clear. Add chopped raw shrimp and simmer about 10 minutes. Add chopped eggplant, salt and pepper to taste, and egg.

Prepare sauce by cooking onion in butter until soft. Blend in flour. Add milk. Stir until thick. Remove from heat. Add seasoning. Blend sauce into shrimp-eggplant mixture. Spoon into shell and bake at 350 F until lightly brown. Sprinkle with parsley.

Roasted Eggplant & Mozzarella

Slice one large or several small eggplants in 1/8- to 1/4-inch slices. Brush them with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, put them on a slingle layer on a roasting pan, and bake in a hot oven until nicely browned. Roll the pizza dough and sprinkle it with a little finely grated chopped garlic, and a light layer of grated mozzarella cheese, about 1/4 pound. Arrange the eggplant slices on the cheese, sprinkle just a little more cheese over the eggplant, and bake the pizza. Garnish it from the oven with some chopped fresh marjoram.

Eggplant Dip

Wash eggplants, peel, cut into small cubes and drip with lemon juice. Heat olive oil, add garlic, eggplants, then add onion, salt, pepper, olives and hot pepper. Cover pot, let simmer until cooked throughout. Add water and tomato paste and bring to a boil. let cool and then put everything in a blender. Let mixture cool completely, add yogurt and spices, chopped parsley, sugar and lemon juice. Serve with bread cubes or vegetables.