Asparagus with Chive Blossoms

We are well into spring, which means that chive blossoms and asparagus are now in abundance. I love chive blossoms for two reasons: they are beautiful and they are edible. Not only are they edible, but they taste great. They have a mild onion flavor, and their texture is pretty unique. Due to my love for both chive blossoms and asparagus, I included the following recipe in issue #15 of The Juniper. I am including it here because many people who read that issue mentioned how much they wanted to try it. So, consider this a reminder. It's that time of year again, so here is your chance. This recipe is borrowed from this location on the interwebs.

Asparagus with Chive Blossoms

1 pound asparagus (washed, trimmed, and cut into 1 inch lengths)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 tablespoons fresh snipped chives
About 16 chive blossoms, stems removed
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
A few whole chive blossoms for garnish

Blanch the asparagus in lightly salted boiling water for about 3 minutes or until tender (but not mushy). Remove from heat and rinse under cold water; drain well. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sesame seeds and stir for about 1 minute. Add chives and stir for another minute. Add asparagus, soy sauce, and salt and pepper; stir well, cover, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove the lid, sprinkle the chive blossoms over asparagus, and cover for 1-2 minutes so that the chive blossoms steam briefly. Remove from heat. Stir lightly and serve hot.

The Juniper #16

Hello friends and foes! The 16th issue of The Juniper is out now! It's about time, right? In this issue, I write about embracing change, being human, raised bed gardening, the proper way to add organic matter to your garden, purposeful gardening, and pruning rosemary plants. This zine is free, but if you have a dollar or stamps to donate to the cause, that would be greatly appreciated as printing and mailing costs add up. I am also, for the first time, offering a pdf version of the zine. If you would like a free pdf copy, just send me a request by email. Otherwise, send your dollar or stamp(s) to the following address:

Dan Murphy
PO Box 9862
Boise ID 83707
USA

dnlmrphy@gmail.com

Weekly Recommendations, Week 13: The Juniper #15

This week’s recommendation is blatant self-promotion, so consider yourself warned. However, this is my blog, so I can do whatever I want, right? Plus, everyone else is using their blogs, tweets, and wall postings to aggressively and excessively promote themselves, so what’s stopping me from doing the same? Hey, everybody! Look at me! Check out how cool I am and all the cool stuff I do! Please like me and be my friend! Post, post, post, tweet, blog, post, ad infinitum.
The Juniper is my 8 years running eco-zine. It's all about living the slow/simple/small life: bike riding, gardening, doing it yourself. In this issue I talk about finding sanity by being in nature, my obsession with my bicycle, how to set up a plant variety trial in your garden and why you should do it, and how lots of things in the world are actually getting better (despite what some folks might say or think) and as long as we make the effort to stay on this course, amazing things can happen. I also include a recipe specifically for springtime. If any of this sounds even remotely interesting to you, send me an email and I'll send you a copy. I usually ask for a stamp, 50¢, or a trade in return, but a nice note should also suffice. I'd give my address here, but I'm still in the middle of a transition and don't yet know what my permanent address will be. Either way, write to me here and we can figure something out: juniperjournal@hotmail.com

slightly less invisible

A new issue of The Juniper is done. Would you like one? If so, I can send you one for a stamp, two quarters, a trade, or some other kind of donation. Unless I'm already planning on sending you one, then you don't need to do anything except go about your daily life like nothing happened and lo and behold a crisp, clean copy of The Juniper #14 will eventually find it's way to your mailbox, at which point you can sit in your favorite chair and read all about my guerilla gardening misadventure, my building of a rocket stove, a couple recipes I highly recommend, as well as my usual ranting and raving. Oh, there are also a few letters to the editor included along with a couple other little tidbits of the typical fare.

As per usual, you can contact me here:
Dan Murphy
PO Box 363
Edwardsville, IL 62025
USA
juniperjournal@hotmail.com

money can be sent by paypal to this address (especially if you happen to have a large sum of money you'd like to donate to the cause): messyelephant@hotmail.com