Fresh Asparagus with Ham, Garlic and Lemon

If I had a farm, this is how I'd eat asparagus. I would plant lots of asparagus, and every spring I would collect bunches of beautiful green spears.

I would ignore the calendar - for me, spring would begin each year on the day I cut my first asparagus.

I would plant rows and rows of garlic. I would never have to buy garlic, or worry about being out. I would never stop being amazed at how every year's crop tasted a little different from the last.

I would raise hogs for so many reasons, not the least of which would be to cure my own ham. I would hang them in a dark cool cellar, and peak at them every day.

I would plant a lemon tree in just the right spot, so the warm summer breeze carried the blossom's sweet scent through the kitchen window. If I had a farm, this is how I'd eat asparagus. Enjoy.

1 pound fresh asparagus

2 tbsp olive oil

2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto ham, or any ham, roughly chopped or torn

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

1 lemon, halved

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, optional