What's white, green and wild?

Asparagus!

Going to the market today, I found something quite unusual (for me). Wild asparagus. They sat there, in precious little bundles, looking for someone to love (eat) them. That someone was me.

It is the season, or so the market would have me believe, for asparagus and there are asparagus aplenty. Big, thick as a thumb white ones with very closed tips, tinged with purple and violet, thinner, longer green ones that look bright and snappy and these delicate, thin, weedy looking ones at the one stall in the market that was selling them.

They were priced at an outrageous 5.95 euros but I couldn't resist. For all I know, I may never see them again! So I had to do it. For all your sakes, I mean.

And since I bought them, it made no sense to have them all by their lonesome, now did it? So I bought its sisters and brothers and did a little taste test.

Snapped off the ends of the green ones, trimmed and lightly peeled the white ones and trimmed the bottom 5mm of the wild ones, I quickly blanched them in quick succession. Dressed simply with a red wine, Dijon, olive oil vinaigrette using a light hand, I started "tasting".

The white ones were by far the juiciest, reminding me of fresh bamboo shoots, of which I am very fond, while the green ones were sweet and lovely tasting. The wild asparagus were delicate and green tasting, with a subtle flavor of asparagus but only slightly. They were a delight to eat, both tender and yet slightly crispy. I don't know that they are worth the almost 6 euros I paid for them, especially as the more substantial ones are on special at the moment, but worth having, at least once.