On Thu 16 Mar 2006 05:20:20p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it wff_ng_7?

> "Wayne Boatwright" <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> wrote:
>> Depending on the store, I have been buying asparagus at 97¢ or 99¢ per
>> pound for several weeks now and I don't consider where I live to be an
>> especially low cost area. Although it used to be somewhat cheaper to
>> live here than it is now. However, the asparagus is grown in Mexico
>> and I live in Arizona, which I'm sure accounts for the low cost. Some
>> of the nicest, bright green, thin asparagus I've seen in a long time.
>
> I know I've seen asparagus from Mexico around here too this time of
> year, maybe that's where my latest batches came from. In summer, it can
> come from closer areas. Some of the nicest asparagus I've seen in recent
> years came from New Jersey, of all places. I guess there was a reason
> New Jersey was called the "Garden State".
>
> The "normal" price for asparagus at my local Safeway supermarket is
> $3.99 a pound. I believe that is what I saw it at today. I won't buy it
> at that price (or anywhere near it). That price is not necessarily
> indicative of the price for the region as a whole. I live in downtown
> Washington, DC. I believe Safeway sets prices store by store. But during
> sales, prices are uniform region wide. The sales flyers always say "save
> up to xxx" because the normal price varies by store.

$3.99 is also the "normal" price around here, too. The prices at Safeway
here do not seem to vary from store to store. Typically, not all chains
are running good specials on asparagus at the same time. When I've seen it
at one or two chains ~$1.00/lb at one chain (including Safeway), it may
still be at $1.99-$3.99 at other chains. It certainly pays to read the ads
before shopping.

>> I like your inventive use of the tough, fibrous ends, as well as the
>> use of salt pork. I'm going to try both the next time I make the soup.
>
> I came up with the method by trial and error. Just so you avoid the
> errors, here's the logic and the mistakes.
>
> If you put the middle tender portion and the tough lower portion
> together to cook, you can't separate it later. I've run the resulting
> soup through the food mill to remove the fibrous material, and it ends
> up being way too thin. One then has to rely totally on butter, flour,
> and cream for the enrichment.
>
> If you just blend it like crazy (normal blender or stick blender) but
> don't run it through the food mill, the soup is way too fibrous. You end
> up chopping the tough fibers really short, but they are still there.
>
> By keeping the middle and lower portions separate, you can use the food
> mill to remove the fibrous material from the lower portion, but keep all
> of the middle portion. That gives the soup a lot of body without a lot
> of fiber. Your method of course retains the middle portion in its
> entirety also for body (but doesn't make any use of the lower portion
> for flavor).

All good tips! Thanks!

> Tomorrow I'm off cooking in another direction entirely... that's why I
> was in the Safeway today, getting the fixings for New England Boiled
> Dinner, or what I call Corned Beef and Cabbage Deluxe. More root
> vegetables (turnips, parsnips, beets), mostly.

I like those additions and often add rutabagas and parsnips. If I use
beets, I either serve them pickled or cook them separately in some of the
same broth. I don't want to run the risk of everything turning pink. :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright o¿o
____________________

BIOYA