(upbeat music) - This recipe came into my life from my brother-in-law Frank who's a gourmet cook.

And he made this recipe for us and all he had was canned asparagus but the flavor of the vinaigrette was just so incredible I fell in love with it.

And using fresh organic asparagus brings a whole new dimension to it.

It's very easy and it is oh so delicious and everyone thinks you're an incredible chef.

(upbeat music) I'm Vic Ladd-de Graff and together with my husband Dick de Graff and son Lucas we own and operate Grindstone Farm in Pulaski New York.

We've been certified organic since 1988 and we are growing over a hundred different varieties of vegetables and fruits.

My husband was raised on a conventional farm.

It was an 1,000 acre farm and he didn't like the sprays.

But the tipping point for him was when he had to take hazardous material and handling courses and he learned from the instructor if this XYZ chemical spills you have to put on a Hazmat suit to clean it up.

And light bulb goes off to my husband's head and says wait a minute I can spray it all over my crops, and sell it to people and you're telling me I have to put these suits on in order to clean it up?

And he said, "That makes no sense.

"Why would I want to spray known carcinogens on food."

And that was it.

We were the first farm to be certified organic in Oswego County.

Organic farming is a program where we're really working in harmony with nature.

To grow your own food is just a huge benefit in so many ways because not only is it a labor of your hands it's a labor of your heart.

And you are bringing all of that to your family and to customers.

(upbeat music) To make this first I harvest the asparagus, bring it in and wash it.

And snap the ends off.

When you're applying pressure towards the bottom it will always break at exactly the right spot.

Asparagus can be sandy, it comes up through the soil.

It actually likes to be grown in a sand type of soil.

And so make sure you wash it a couple of times.

(upbeat music) Prepare it in about an inch of water to lightly steam it.

You want it tender crisp.

Not over cooking asparagus is so important.

Because it just, it will mush very quickly and if that happens to me usually it's like okay we'll put that aside and it's gonna be soup.

Then after cooking you have to have an ice bath prepared to plunge the asparagus in to stop that cooking process to chill it down and then you dry it off.

I also in advance of that will make the vinaigrette.

(upbeat music) Now slowly and gradually stirring the whole time so it kind of thickens.

And then we do the taste test.

(upbeat music) Perfecto.

(upbeat music) You could also dress it up with some chopped egg or some roasted red peppers or some nice Greek olives to serve with it and a crusty bread just delicious.

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