About the asparagus

Asparagus, also known as the ‘queen of vegetables’, is a bushy plant that forms new shoots from its woody rhizomes when appropriately treated. Sowing can be done around mid-March. The following year, the plants are first uprooted and then neatly set out in gullies. Here the characteristic mounds are ploughed up. You can harvest plenty of crops from the fourth to about the tenth year. After that, the soil is “exhausted”.

When is it time to harvest Asparagus

The mounds ploughed over the asparagus plants are about 30 centimetres high, allowing the asparagus to grow more easily and be cut better. A good asparagus bed has a loose structure, preferably sand or sandy soil, which allows the stalks to grow nicely straight upwards. As soon as a crack appears in the ground, you should harvest the asparagus. This is a labour-intensive process and an art in itself. If the earth cracks, the cutter has to act immediately. Two fingers are used to dig a 10-15-centimetre trench around the asparagus. The asparagus is then “exposed”. Then, with a quick stab, a special knife is used to cut off the stem, carefully and as low as possible. Immediately after harvesting, the trench is filled with soil and the mound is restored.

A colourful crop

Whereas the white stems grow tall underground, the green ones grow only above ground, without special beds. So they get their green colour from sunlight. But there are also violet asparagus, violet-green asparagus and purple asparagus. All asparagus are highly nutritious: they contain nutrients such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, and vitamins, such as B1, B2 and B6.

How do you recognise fresh asparagus?

They have a shiny stem.
You will hear a squeaking sound if you gently rub the stalks together.
This is because the cut surface on the underside should not be dried. Check this by pressing on the surface with your fingernail.

How do you store asparagus?

Asparagus is best when fresh.
You can keep white asparagus in a damp cloth in the fridge, green and purple asparagus in an open plastic bag in the refrigerator.
If you carefully peel the asparagus and pack it in a plastic freezer bag, you can keep asparagus in the freezer for 4 to 6 months. Note: cook the stalks frozen in a pan with plenty of water and do not let them thaw first.

Best ways to cook Asparagus

When first purchased, traditional cooking is often chosen. But the season lasts up to three months. If you put them on the table weekly, you can choose a different variant each time for 24 weeks. There are plenty of options, and in our case, no bags of sauce are involved. You can make it all nice and fresh, which is many times more satisfying.