Every year, when the asparagus comes in at our CSA, we mightily rejoice. It's too early for our weekly bags of produce to begin, but the asparagus is a spring treat that seems to create its own holiday. The folks at the farm send out an e-mail letting us know it's ready, and we bring it home with a sense of awe and hooray-ness: Spring is really, really here! Summer is weeks away! Here comes the FOOD!

Naturally, we feel like we need to do something special with this stuff (and we're not talking about a wan little bundle like you get in the store; this is a pound and a half of strong, thick spears). One year we made risotto with it; one year we steamed it and served it with homemade pierogies and roasted fennel; we've also pickled it, though the results earned mixed reviews.

This year, we made this:

The Great Asparagus Meal of 2010

On the left, may I present Asparagus Soup, topped with extra asparagus spears, toasted baguette from Albemarle Baking Co. and one fried egg from you-know-who. On the right, please welcome the salad: lettuce from our garden, with carrots, cashews and a mixed pickle that I made last summer.

Something about eating local makes us terribly self-congratulatory. It's sort of obnoxious, but we really do feel good about a meal like this, where nearly all the major ingredients come from our backyard or our community.

What local stuff are you eating right now? Let's get some more deliciousness in the comments, people!