Happy New Year 2022! Welcome to my new series, Sunday in the Garden! My intention is to post every Sunday a recap of what we did in our garden to maximize our planning/planting and harvesting and minimize the time it takes to do so. This Sunday is about Asparagus!
Yesterday was the first time I've been able to get out in 3 weeks because of cold and Covid. And, I know that I should have prepared the asparagus bed last Fall, but as you know, we're 100% canning through October. Then there was Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year in the blink of an eye. So with my new word of the year being "Intention," my intent is to be better at preparing and planning than last year.
Step One for the asparagus bed is to prepare it for its winter nap. Today, that means cutting back the brown ferns almost to the ground. Step Two is covering it with mulch. And that's it!
We have several clumps of asparagus that were planted 5+ years ago and are producing regularly now. There's nothing like garden asparagus. For starters, it's the first thing to sprout and harvest in the Spring. It grows quickly, so when a sprout first pops up, it can be harvested in a few days. It is so good, and it's FREE! (Asparagus is a perennial. We planted crowns 5+ years ago, they will produce for the next 2 decades.)
I can't wait to show you the taste-test between our garden asparagus, store-bought asparagus, and canned. I'll be making asparagus soup along with the spears we'll be harvesting for our Saturday night grills. When the Farmer's Market opens in May, I'll buy as much as I can from other farmers because we'll only get a handful each day, and I'll want to eat as much as I can during its short 3-week season.
I eat the stuff like candy. Either grilled plain or roasted with olive oil + coarse sea salt. Yum!!!