First harvest of 2021

When it comes to gardening, perennial crops are the most ecofrugal kind of all. Our rhubarb plants and asparagus crowns cost more initially than a packet of seeds the garden, but they've kept producing year after year, giving us much more food per dollar than the ones we plant yearly. Plus we only had to go through the work of planting them once to get many years' worth of crops.

But at this time of year, the nicest thing about perennial crops is that they're already producing. The parsley and leek seedlings are only just ready to set out, the lettuce and arugula haven't even been planted, but our asparagus patch has already produced six ounces of tender green spears. It's not a huge amount, but it's enough to celebrate the arrival of spring officially.

Brian and I have a few go-to asparagus recipes we could have used these for. During asparagus season, we regularly make the Polenta with Mushrooms and Asparagus recipe from Easy Vegetarian Dinners (which also works quite nicely with gnocchi). We also recently discovered two new pasta dishes with asparagus, one with mushrooms and leeks and the other in a garlicky white sauce. But for this first asparagus harvest of the year, we decided to go with a simple dish we've made many times before: asparagus, potatoes, and eggs.

This dish is a combination of two different recipes from Easy Vegetarian Dinners. The first, "Potatoes & Eggs," is a frittata made with new potatoes, asparagus, tomato (which isn't in season at the same time as asparagus), and Parmesan cheese. The second, "Roasted Asparagus with New Potatoes," also calls for new potatoes, but you roast them in a pan with the asparagus and finish it by sprinkling on fresh rosemary, Parmesan, pepper, and toasted pine nuts.

Over the years, Brian has merged these two recipes to eliminate the tomato, reduce the amount of egg required, and minimize the cooking time needed. And, more recently, he replaced the Parmesan with our standard substitute, a mixture of salt and nutritional yeast. His current version looks like this:

Asparagus, Potatoes, and Eggs

Cube 2 medium potatoes, spread them in a pan, and roast in a 450-degree oven for about 25 minutes.

Snap 6 ounces of asparagus spears into 1-inch pieces. Saute them in olive oil with 1 Tablespoon pine nuts and 2 teaspoons snipped fresh rosemary for about 3 minutes, or until the asparagus is bright green and tender.

Add the potatoes to the pan. Sprinkle on 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Beat 3 eggs and stir them into the mix. Scramble until the eggs are as firm as you like them, then remove from heat.

This version of the dish is perfectly simple and perfectly satisfying. The tablespoon of pine nuts is just enough of an extravagance to make it feel special without putting a real burden on the budget. It's quick, easy, and delicious. In short, a perfect way to kick off the gardening season.