We know...we skipped the apricot. That was because no apricots were available when we went shopping for it; apparently apricots are in season from late spring through the summer, so we'll try again in about a month or so.
On to ASPARAGUS!!! What a wonderful, entertaining little vegetable! Asparagus is purchased in bundles, usually priced by bundle rather than by weight. There are various widths of stalks available - kind of like the way Forest Gump describes rain - big ole' fat asparagus, tiny little stinging asparagus. I prefer the medium to small width stalks. The most fun part of preparing the asparagus is easily snapping the hard, white bottom part of the stalk off. You simply give it a little bend, and it just snaps off precisely where it's supposed to. It's really amazing.
We chose to blanch the asparagus. After snapping the stalk, we cut the stalk into 1.5/2-inch pieces, which then got quickly boiled (about 2 minutes), and then placed into ice water, which helps keep them crispy. After that, we simmered the asparagus in a pan on medium heat with extra virgin olive oil. Mmmmmmmmmm. Now that made a crisp, hot, refreshingly green side!
(I will note - asparagus does seem to increase *ahem* methane production in the human digestive system.)
Avocado...is actually a fruit. Who knew? I wasn't a big fan of the avocado...and in all honesty, I'm still not. The avocado is a seemingly versatile fruit, commonly known for its use in guacamole. We tried a bite plain...but I'll get to that in a minute. To "open up" the avocado, you simply slice it lengthwise all the way around, twist, and voila!...it opens up. It's really that simple - once you remove the oddly giant seed, it's ready for consumption, or transformation. I personally can't stand the texture, but Am seemed to enjoy it, especially after she mixed in some delicious salsa to add some texture and flavor to the fruit (I passed after my first bite). I don't know how often we'll be preparing avocado, if at all, but I recommend trying it. 
On to ASPARAGUS!!! What a wonderful, entertaining little vegetable! Asparagus is purchased in bundles, usually priced by bundle rather than by weight. There are various widths of stalks available - kind of like the way Forest Gump describes rain - big ole' fat asparagus, tiny little stinging asparagus. I prefer the medium to small width stalks. The most fun part of preparing the asparagus is easily snapping the hard, white bottom part of the stalk off. You simply give it a little bend, and it just snaps off precisely where it's supposed to. It's really amazing.
We chose to blanch the asparagus. After snapping the stalk, we cut the stalk into 1.5/2-inch pieces, which then got quickly boiled (about 2 minutes), and then placed into ice water, which helps keep them crispy. After that, we simmered the asparagus in a pan on medium heat with extra virgin olive oil. Mmmmmmmmmm. Now that made a crisp, hot, refreshingly green side!
(I will note - asparagus does seem to increase *ahem* methane production in the human digestive system.)
Avocado...is actually a fruit. Who knew? I wasn't a big fan of the avocado...and in all honesty, I'm still not. The avocado is a seemingly versatile fruit, commonly known for its use in guacamole. We tried a bite plain...but I'll get to that in a minute. To "open up" the avocado, you simply slice it lengthwise all the way around, twist, and voila!...it opens up. It's really that simple - once you remove the oddly giant seed, it's ready for consumption, or transformation. I personally can't stand the texture, but Am seemed to enjoy it, especially after she mixed in some delicious salsa to add some texture and flavor to the fruit (I passed after my first bite). I don't know how often we'll be preparing avocado, if at all, but I recommend trying it. 
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