spear some asparagus
spear some asparagus
Asparagus is a nutrient-dense perennial vegetable and a member of the lily family. It is only harvested during spring months in our area, so when it’s available be sure not miss the chance to savor some of these tender veggies. Remember that eating in season and eating local is more sustainable and tastes best! We… Read More »
Asparagus is a nutrient-dense perennial vegetable and a member of the lily family. It is only harvested during spring months in our area, so when it’s available be sure not miss the chance to savor some of these tender veggies. Remember that eating in season and eating local is more sustainable and tastes best! We have just begun harvesting our own asparagus and have it available in our farm store and farm stands located in Chester/Mendham & Bridgewater.
Asparagus provides a dense supply of nutrients including potassium, fiber, thiamin, and vitamin B6 to help you keep going. Asparagus is one of the foods highest in prebiotic fiber known to benefit gut health and low on the glycemic scale. Enjoy asparagus in salads, soups, quiche, or roasted. Jenn Borealo, our culinary specialist, provided a simple and tasty recipe using asparagus: Asparagus Eggs Mornay. Enjoying tender asparagus with the fluffy texture of eggs is the perfect combination. There are a variety of other recipes featuring our homegrown asparagus available on our website for you to try such as; asparagus and pancetta strata or asparagus pizza.
Asparagus is a dioecious plant meaning it contains both male and female plants and in order to reproduce it must be near a female plant so
that pollinators can do their work. Female asparagus produces seeds that look like small red berries males do not. You can identify the male spears by their larger and thicker spears.
Our asparagus plants start out as crowns, which are the one year old root of asparagus. We use this method rather than planting seed to allow us to produce an edible crop within the first year or two of growing. We allow these plants to get established for the first couple of seasons so that we can ensure a successful crop for the future. Some asparagus beds have been known to produce vegetables for up to 10- 20 years so it is worth it to allow this crop to develop in it’s own timing. At harvest time, our production team will be reviewing the crop in the fields every couple of days as it spears could develop as quickly as that. The production team will begin to harvest when the spears reach 8-10 inches in height and the diameter of a pencil where they will be harvested all spring.
If you visit our farm this Summer you may notice we keep the remaining ferns in our asparagus bed intact after our Spring harvest. This allows the ferns to replenish the nutrients for next season’s production. We will eventually cut back the foliage in early winter, most times after the first hard frost.
Homegrown asparagus has better flavor and nutrition than the asparagus you may find in the supermarket and that’s because it’s picked at the peak of ripeness. Picking produce at the right time provides maximum nutrition as nutrients are lost during shipping. Store bought produce is typically produced from a grower who uses plants that are based on high yields, quick growing capabilities and are geared to withstand shipping. Purchasing local grown produce allows you to have a relationship with the person who grows your food. Knowing your farmer also provides other benefits such as aligning with a farm that shares your same values while presenting an opportunity to see the farm in action during the growing season. You can see the visual difference between homegrown asparagus vs. store bought. The homegrown asparagus has fresh purple looking tips and the stalks are bright green. Store bought asparagus is more yellowish and lacks the bright color. Differences are also seen in the size and shape whereas locally harvested asparagus is thinner, less woody and more tender. The real difference can be found in the taste! There’s no comparison to the fresh taste of locally grown and harvested asparagus.
Sustainability is important to us on our farm and we utilize many farming practices that promote healthy soil that ultimately improves the nutritional value of your produce. We use cover crops to restore soil nutrients, practice soil & water conservation as well as utilize integrated pest management. All of these practices help to ensure nutrient dense soil which makes for healthier produce and better nutrition. Our farm invites guests to our farm to learn how food is grown and to pick your own produce. Growing healthy food and feeding families is what we are all about and we feel we are blessed to be able to take care of the land with our sustainable stewardship.
Want to learn more about asparagus? Check out this other blog on our website.
Best wishes from our farm kitchen to yours. xo
