Wilted Asparagus and Rapini Salad

By Steven Biggs
Gardener, Garden Writer, Garden Coach, Horticulturist

My wife Shelley loves asparagus as much as I do.

And that can pose a problem in the spring, before the asparagus crop is in full swing—or at the tail end of the asparagus season when the pickings are declining.

THE PROBLEM is that there’s not always enough asparagus in the garden to give us each a full portion.

The solution to a scant supply, we’ve found, is to use the spears to dress up a salad. And in late spring, when we’re glancing jealously at those few spears, we often have a bit of rapini that’s come up in the garden (by itself). There’s not enough rapini to serve on its own either.

So we combine the two and use them together atop a salad.

Wilted Asparagus and Rapini Salad

• Lightly steam some garden asparagus and rapini;
  
  
• Toss in a bowl with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and some sea salt, then place over top of a green salad;
  
  
• Chop green onion and dill from the garden and sprinkle over the salad;
  
  
• Pour any remaining oil and vinegar in the bowl over your spring salad.

Rapini is on my list of top-10 easy-to-grow vegetable crops. Read my article about 10 easy-to-grow vegetable crops for the home garden.

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