We're entering the months when it's impossible to keep up with all the seasonal goodies. Enjoy them when they're at their fleeting peak. Next week might be too late!

Asparagus

Only serious gardeners grow asparagus. It requires patience. A trench must be dug and refilled gradually, soil amended and weeds kept at bay as you wait two or three years. But, even that can be thwarted by an underground critter with sophisticated tastes. Aargh! (I speak from experience.)

At one point in my past, asparagus grew wild along the irrigation ditch behind our house. Having had little success growing it, now when I pass a sign offering it for sale, I make a sudden stop.

Few local farmers grow asparagus, but perhaps that could change with demand. Scour the farmers' markets; ask questions. When it appears there, it disappears quickly. Sunbow Farm offers it in their weekly list of available produce, although it slowed with cooler weather. Demand is strong, but you might get lucky. Call 929-5782 or sunbow@peak.org. The asparagus found in local grocery stores comes mainly from Washington or California. You'll occasionally see a hand-painted sign along a street or road when a home gardener has extra to sell.

Besides a divine, delicate flavor that begs for the simplest preparation, asparagus gives more than the daily requirement of vitamin K (for bone density and heart health), plus folate, vitamin C and a tidy bundle of minerals. Steam it then drizzle with a little butter and/or olive, lemon juice and fresh herbs. So simple, tasty and healthful!

Sorrel

This is one of those love-it-or-hate-it foods. An herb, it's sometimes featured in salad mixes. Its tangy, lemony flavor says "Hel-lo!" when a piece lands on your tongue. The younger the leaf, the more subtle the flavor, but still a stand-out.

At the Corvallis Saturday Farmers' Market, I saw lovely little bundles in at least one stall. But Elizabeth Kerle of Denison Farm said some customers asked them to remove it from their mesclun mix, so they no longer grow it. 'Tis a pity. Aside from its perky zest, sorrel is dense with vitamins C, B9, A, calcium, iron and magnesium.

Salmon and sorrel are paired in many cookbooks and restaurants. Janet and Rolfe Hagen of the Thyme Garden in Alsea have wrapped salmon in sorrel leaves and baked it, "with tasty results."

Jerry Traunfeld of The Herbfarm, east of Seattle, makes creamy sauces with

sorrel to serve on salmon dishes. Sorrel soup also is popular this time of year. I made a "spring-gleaning" one last week blending chard, sorrel, lovage and new potatoes in a Deborah Madison recipe. It tasted so -. green.

We have a "clump" of sorrel in the garden, thanks to a friend who divided his, thus encouraging us to experiment. We also have a gorgeous blood-red-veined sorrel mainly for the stunning visual interest it adds to the garden and salads. That and other sorrels are available at The Thyme Garden, and Nichols' Garden Nursery in Albany. They'll jazz up your cooking as well as your herb garden.

Fresh Sheet alerts readers to the seasonal foods that make the mid-Willamette Valley such a rich culinary area. Through tips from farmers, ranchers, fishers, cheese-makers and other food producers, as well as chefs and restaurateurs, Chris Peterson tracks what's flowing from soil and sea to local plates. Contact her at localfood@peak.org.