As Lovely As Asparagus
It was so hard to come up with a pun for asparagus–you know, one that might be family friendly rather than raunchy, but I managed to do so after sleeping on it overnight.
Asparagus officinalis (see, even they couldn’t come up with a better name) is a perennial (and how! well taken care of, some even boasting 20 years!) spring vegetable that’s harvested for it’s fleshy shoots. In the spring, it really does look like alien fingers popping up from the soil. A quick snap at the base produces (at least for me), shoots as thick as my thumb. This is the 4th year I’ve had these particular plants, which is why mine come up very big and hearty.
They are heavy feeders so I always compost them and lay mulch over them. Every year I add more on top, the weight helping them thicken up as well. They require full sun and good, deep watering (but no standing water or else their funny, squid-like roots rot), and to be left unharvested after the first 3 weeks of spring so that they’re not depleted from us eating the tops.
One thing I don’t like is that they get top heavy and fall over, so they aren’t terribly attractive once they leaf out (nor tasty as they become woody and stringy). The fronds look and feel like those of fennel or dill.
If you are to buy asparagus crowns (the easiest way to ensure you have a viable crop soon), try buying males as they are thicker and supposedly more productive. Occasionally a female does sneak in, as I realized this year because one of them berried! No matter, I’ll just plant the seeds and get more asparagus plants.
I do love asparagus sauteed or grilled, even though it makes my pee smell funny. When they are in season (in my backyard), we have it with eggs for breakfast. It’s a relatively low maintenance plant once established, and quite useful as a backdrop to other shorter vegetables and herbs.