Harvesting asparagus

[Chuck52]

Ah, Spring is here! Birds eating cherries and now harvesting asparagus. So, when the asparagus starts coming in do you pick <font color=red>all</font color=red> the spears for a while and then let all develop into ferns, or do you just pick some right along? I guess my question is, is asparagus like other veggies that quit developing edible parts if some are allowed to get mature....like beans for instance? BTW, I think asparagus must rank right up there with bamboo as the world's fastest growing plants.

Chuck

 

[RobS]

I can't tell you how to pick it Chuck, but I sure do know how to eat it /w3tcompact/icons/love.gif Our favorite recipe is also very easy. It's called ham and asparagus fettucini. Cut the apsaragus into one inch lengths and cut the ham into similar sized bits. Equal amounts of each, about a pound. Cook a box of fettucini and drain. Pour in one cup of heavy cream, one cup of grated parmesian cheese (fresh, not the box kind) then toss the whole thing with the ham and asparagus. Takes all of 10 minutes. Tastes best sitting outside on the deck with a nice cool glass of wine /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>do you pick all the spears for a while and then let all develop into ferns</font color=blue>

Yes. At least that's the way we always did it.

 

[Chuck52]

Thanks...I already picked them and was looking for confirmation (hopefully /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif). This bed was planted last year and the instructions I'm following say to do a light picking this year, but they didn't say what that meant. I'll probably pick for this week and part of next and then let it grow. Quite a surprise yesterday when I found the spears. I wasn't expecting them until late May at the earliest, but I guess the weird warm weather got it going fast. Really would have prefered it wait. Asparagus in the store is $1.48/lb and even less sometimes. I'll want it more when it goes back to the $2.99/lb level. Of course, everything is coming up gang busters now. Bird, I suppose you're in the middle of your growing season, but the middle of Missouri isn't supposed to be like this on tax day. I need a tractor with autopilot to mow the grass, while I deal with the garden.

Rob, I haven't found a bad way to do asparagus yet. Your recipe is a lot like some my wife does with various meats or all vegetarian. I also just like to saute the spears in some garlic butter. Real elegant and simple meal: steak Diane, asparagus in garlic butter, followed by fresh stawberries in honeyed cream. Notice I did not say healthy meal.

Chuck

 

[RobS]

<font color=blue>Notice I did not say healthy meal.</font color=blue>

Nor did I /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif We must be a couple of weeks behind you but I can't wait for the fresh asparagus to hit. You're meal sounds delicious /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[TerryinMD]

Chuck,

When the spears begin to come up being about a pencil thickness you need to stop havesting. Just let the plant grow into the ferns and wait patiently until next year. Now, occassionally you might be able to pick a few more during the summer, but do not overpick or you will damage the plant. Also, be careful when grubbing around the asparagus plants, the roots can radiate out almost two feet from the crowns.

We have just planted two fifty foot rows. We should have some for personal consumption next year. The year after.... retail crop and some personal consumption. Our current row has been decimated by bindwind and sumac trees. In late spring, it will be dug up and tilled. The bed has served us well for the past eight or so years.

Terry

 

[TerryinMD]

Chuck,

Try this...

Take a couple of thin slices of good baked ham and a few spears - maybe 5 or 6 per person and steam them. Do not boil. Steam for 5 or so minutes.

Lightly fry an egg or two - over easy is the best IMHO.

Put the eggs, ham and asparagus on a plate and cover with Hollandaise Sauce.

Accompany with some toast and beverage of choice.... almost heaven... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Forget the calories and fat.... everything in moderation.

Terry

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>I haven't found a bad way to do asparagus</font color=blue>

That's for sure; just pick it and eat it raw right there, chopped in salads, steamed with cheese sauce, in garlic butter, or any other way. A friend has a sister who comes down to visit from the State of Washington and her boyfriend of many years is a commercial asparagus farmer. She sometimes brought us canned pickled asparagus; only time I've ever seen it pickled, but it's delicious that way, too./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>Bird, I suppose you're in the middle of your growing season</font color=blue>

Well, not quite the middle, but off to a pretty good start as you can see in the attached picture. Cloudy today and had one brief shower this morning, which is the reason I'm sitting here at the computer instead of being out there putting that straw around my tomato plants./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Egon]

Bird:

Now I gotta go try and find pickled assparagus.

Egon

 

[RobS]

Anyone grow white asparagus? Is it the same, just shaded from the sun? I've not seen it fresh, only canned in the stores /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Chuck52]

Terry,

I left the spears from one plant because they were pretty skinny. Figured it could use some growth. I had to replant half my bed this year because half the crowns I put in last year were a poor choice and didn't come up. Not knowing what they should look like, I bought some boxed crowns at a hardware store which already had ferns. Then I bought some more really good crowns at a local plant store....bare roots, but nice and fleshy. The latter all came up and that's what I'm harvesting this year. When I started doing the bed last year I was all ready to do it the old-fashioned way. Dig a deep trench, put in mulch, put in the crowns a foot deep, gradually fill in around the developing ferns. Then I did a search on the web and found a university horticulture page which basically said, "dig a 6" trench, throw in some super phosphate, throw in the crowns, and bury them." I like simple! Plus it said I could harvest lightly the following year rather than wait another year. From the growth I'm getting this year, it appears simple works fine.

Bird, are those your blackberries in the picture? I don't think I'll get enough asparagus for pickling this year....maybe next. I'm about to put the okra in however, so I'll get to pickle something anyway!

Chuck

 

[Bird]

Yep, blackberries in the foreground. And my okra has sprouted; a couple of inches high, but won't really get to growing good until it gets hotter weather.

 

[Richard]

I’ll fess up to something here..not only am I not a fan of asparagus, I have found out, I’m clueless as to how to prepare it.

Dinner party at my house w/in-laws. Everyone LOVES asparagus. Father in law & myself get voted to prepare it. He likes to shave off the little “nubs” off the stalk and showed me exactly how he likes that part done.

Keep in mine, I’m helping in part because his arthritis slows him down and I have quick little fingers. Ok, since the TIP of the asparagus looks just like a bundle of nubs, I continued on and in my busy body fashion, sharpened about ½ of the entire lot..making each stalk look like it was professionally inserted into a pencil sharpener and had a nice point where the tip used to be. /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

As dinner approached and my faux pox was outed. They all had a major laugh at my expense.

The jokes continue on till today about how I’ll take asparagus and turn it into a pack of pencils. /w3tcompact/icons/clever.gif (I think we need a dunce award face?)

Richard

 

[RobS]

ROTFLMAO /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

On a related note, how many of you suffer the "asparagus syndrome"? For those of us who do, it is noticible in the bathroom shortly after eating the stuff. Apparently, it's hereditary and not everyone suffers. I sure do /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[MikePA]

This could be a new T shirt slogan. Instead of 'Runs With Scissors' it could be 'Runs With Asparagus'. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Chuck52]

Rob,

I got it too. I can also tell when I've had lots of coffee. Ah, that fresh roasted aroma!

Chuck

 

[RobS]

Can't say I've noticed a similar affect due to coffee, but then I've only been drinking the stuff for a couple of months now /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[rancar]

Chuck,

<font color=blue>Do you pick all the spears for a while and then let all develop into ferns, or do you just pick some right along?</font color=blue>

I don't think you can pick all at the same time since all shoots aren't growing at same rate. We pick all of ours sporadically during the first three weeks of the growing season...when the shoots are about 9-12 inches high, before their buds blossom, and before they become too thick. Then we feel we need to let the patch grow and blossom to maturity into a bush for the survival of the patch. This method has been used on this patch for approximately 50 years and the plants still sprout like youngsters each Spring. They're wonderful plants. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Regards,
Bob Ancar
Cambridge, NY

 

[TerryinMD]

Rob,

White asparagus are stalks that have been protected from the sun. I do not know the actual method to do this but I can imagine that you might be able to do it with a lot of straw piled on the asparagus row. Looks like another Web research project.

Inital research - <A target="_blank" HREF=http://ohioline.osu.edu/b826/b826_8.html>White Asparagus</A>

Terry