Green asparagus salad with marjoram

This classic French dish is so beautifully simple: fresh squid, Green asparagus and marjoram. Asparagus is considered a delicacy and its arrival heralds the start of spring - definitely something to be looked forward to. When lightly steamed, its flavour is simply delicious. The motto with using asparagus is "less is more" - don't worry about fancy recipes, enjoy it as it is. Green asparagus is traditionally eaten as a side vegetable or as an ingredient with pasta.

The fleshy green spears of asparagus are both succulent and tender and have been considered a delicacy since ancient times. This highly prized vegetable arrives with the coming of spring. In California the first crops are picked as early as February, however, their season generally is considered to run from April through May. The growing season in the Midwest and East extends through July. Asparagus is a perennial, an almost leafless member of the lily family. The spears we buy in the store are actually the shoots from an underground crown. It takes up to 3 years for crowns to develop enough to begin producing shoots, but once they do, they can produce for up to 20 years. Read more on http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=12