Spring flings Use seasonal produce in go-to faves asparagus soup, spinach salad, rhubarb pie Homemade
By: Eva Wasney Posted: 5:00 PM CDT Tuesday, May. 13, 2025

A few weeks ago, I was bemoaning the lack of spring weather. Now, it seems like we’ve skipped over the whole season and jumped right into summer.

The whiplash continues, with the May long weekend forecast now calling for lower temperatures, but let’s take a moment to savour some fleeting spring produce with some seasonal recipes.

This week, Homemade features cream of asparagus soup from Rae Carpenter, spinach salad from Vi Scherbak and rhubarb crunch pie from Velma Scott.

Speaking of camping, please send in your favourite camp-friendly recipes for an upcoming edition of Homemade. This can be something made over a fire pit, cooked on a camp stove or prepared for the backwoods ahead of time. Visit winnipegfreepress.com/homemade to fill out the submission form.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 750 ml (3 cups) fresh asparagus, cut 1-inch pieces
• 625 ml (2-½ cups) low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 ml (⅛ tsp) crushed red pepper flakes
• 85 g (3 oz) fat-free cream cheese, cubed
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) light sour cream
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) fresh dill or 5 ml (1 tsp) dried dill
• 2.5 ml (½ tsp) nutmeg

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, sauté onion and garlic over medium heat until tender.
2. Add asparagus, broth and pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until asparagus is tender.
3. Place one-third of the soup in a blender or food processor. Add cream cheese, sour cream and dill and process until smooth. Return mixture to the saucepan and heat through over medium heat.
4. Sprinkle with nutmeg and serve.

“I looked forward each spring to the asparagus in our garden to start growing after the long Manitoba winters. This is one of my family favourites.”

— Rae Carpenter

Spinach Salad

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch fresh spinach, torn into bite size pieces
• 500 ml (2 cups) fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 500 ml (2 cups) Monterey Jack cheese, grated
• 225 g (½ lb) bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 375 ml (1-½ cups) mayonnaise
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) vinegar
• 90 ml (6 tbsp) brown sugar

Directions

1. To a large salad bowl, add spinach, mushrooms, boiled eggs and Monterey Jack cheese.
2. Cook bacon in a pan over medium heat. Set cooked bacon aside on a paper towel and reserve 30 ml (2 tbsp) of fat in the pan.
3. Add green onions to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes. Whisk in the mayo, vinegar and brown sugar. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for a few minutes until warmed through.
4. Crumble cooled bacon into the salad bowl. Pour in warm dressing and toss to coat.

“About 30 years ago, there was a restaurant in the Eaton Place mall called Mr. Greenjeans. This is a recreation of their delicious spinach salad.”

— Vi Scherbak

Rhubarb Crunch Pie

Ingredients

• Pastry for a two 10-inch pies
• 1 egg
• 250 ml (1 cup) sour cream
• 250 ml (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 45 ml (3 tbsp) cornstarch
• 2.5 ml (½ tsp) cinnamon
• 250 ml (½ tsp) nutmeg
• 1 L (4 cups) rhubarb, finely chopped
• 180 ml (¾ cup) rolled oats
• 125 ml (½ cup) golden brown sugar
• 125 ml (½ cup) all purpose flour
• 5 ml (1 tsp) orange or lemon zest
• 125 ml (½ cup) butter, melted

Directions

1. Roll out pastry to fit into two 10-inch pie plates and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk egg with sour cream.
3. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir into egg mixture.
4. Add rhubarb and mix well. Let sit while making the topping.
5. In a bowl, mix together rolled oats, brown sugar, flour and zested fruit. Add melted butter and mix well. Set aside.
6. Spoon the rhubarb filling into the prepared pie plates. Sprinkle crumbled topping over pie filling.
7. Preheat oven to 400 F and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 F and bake 40 minutes longer or until the topping is golden brown and the filling is puffed up and set. Serve warm.

“I anxiously wait for my rhubarb patch to pop up again, so I can make this pie again. It is just a great seasonal enjoyment. It is an easy go-to and has all the ‘regular’ ingredients one has on hand. I hope you find this rhubarb pie as enjoyable as we have.”

— Velma Scott

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com

Eva Wasney
Reporter

Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Free Press Arts & Life department since 2019. Read more about Eva.

Every piece of reporting Eva produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.