Tuesday 21 April 2020

First of the Season

This time it's a few spears of delicious Asparagus. I'd been looking hopefully for them appearing for a couple of weeks and at last 5 spears big enough to eat.




It's a bit of a 'Marmite' food you either loathe it or love it and  I love it especially as it arrives so early before any other fresh veg is available from the garden.

My 10 crowns were planted in our first year here but haven't done too well, the soil is too heavy for them and it was the same at the smallholding and now we never seem to get the rain at the right time either.

There could well be a shortage of asparagus in the shops this year as farmers haven't got enough people for the harvest, it's very labour intensive, usually cut and packed by people from Eastern Europe.  Many years ago a friend in the Smallholders Society took over a small field of asparagus, it was on the light sandy heath-land soil near the Suffolk coast but he gave up after just one crop with a bad back!
Heard on the radio that a big grower in Cambridgeshire is flying in 2 plane loads of people from Romania to help with all the veg that needs cutting/picking during the summer. There needs to be many more than two plane loads.

Apologies for not getting around to answering any comments yesterday.....Must try harder!
Back Tomorrow
Sue


55 comments:

  1. I've never met anyone who didn't like asparagus. There's an asparagus farm near here I go to. I eat it almost daily for a month and then it stops and then I wait for next year.

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    Replies
    1. I know people who don't like it but have never tried it!

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  2. I too am an enthusiast but with the lockdown I only have Tesco for my supplies however your photo is of my lunch yesterday.

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  3. We had our first ever homegrown asparagus a couple of days ago....delicious. I love asparagus, husband can take it or leave it.

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  4. My FIL grew lovelty asparagus. Some people avoid eating it because it makes their pee pong. (was going to type "urine smell bad" but "pee pong" is more fun)

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    1. Yes it is a bit smelly - very strange effect

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  5. Apparently there used to be a lovely large asparagus bed in our garden as the owner's previous to whom we bought the property from were largely self sufficient. Sadly it seems the people we bought it from got rid of it, which is such a shame as I understand they about 20 years!

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    1. We were told there was a bed at the smallholding but it was more grass than asparagus so we didn't keep it going

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  6. Oh, how lovely. Home grown asparagus. Fantastic! It's lovely in quiches and frittatas and the woodier bits of the stem make a splendid soup. Delicious!
    xx

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    1. Thank you Joy for your comment about the woody bits. I've been throwing mine away as I didn't know you could soup them.

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    2. I'm afraid I chuck them - I'm off soup

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  7. I don't grow my own, but we have plenty of small local growers. Unfortunately none of them was at our tiny Saturday market last week, and I'd been so looking forward to some. I was even prepared to buy the white!

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  8. One of the highlights of spring is fresh asparagus! Delicious :)

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  9. I am another one who loves asparagus. I also make asparagus soup. Your lunch looks delicious! Helen S.

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  10. I seem as thou I have missed out on a treat for I have never tried asparagus I know my daughter likes it. She brought me 2 dozen geranium plants from Morrisons yesterday so I have got a job today. Enjoy the day everyone.
    Hazel c uk 🌈🌈🌈

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  11. I adore asparagus Sue - just with melted butter and brown bread and butter - shall put it on this week's Tesco order just in case they have some.

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    1. Yes, rolled up in thin brown bread and butter was my first try of it many years ago at a posh wedding!

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  12. I love asparagus and your meal looks delicious. I also read about the arrival of Romanians. Apparently they're here to teach the 1000's of volunteers how to pick the fruit and veg. Have a lovely day. x

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    1. I wonder how many volunteer Brits will stick it out for the whole season

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    2. Not sure it's about sticking it out. Apparently plenty of people have volunteered but aren't being taken on because they can't commit to the season because they'll need to return to their usual jobs when all this is over.x

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  13. I hate the stuff. We put in a bed for Alan who loves it but the wildlife kept digging up the roots. After battling to grown it for a few years Alan gave up and covered up the beds with plastic last year to stop the weeds, and now this year we have two big spears of Asparagus pushing up the plastic.

    Alan's comment was very rude ... you can imagine how it looks I'm sure!! But he's looking forward to harvesting his two spears in the next few days.

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    Replies
    1. I knew there would be someone who didn't like it

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    2. Haha ... and of course it had to be me ;-)

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  14. I love asparagus - boiled, broiled, mixed with other vegetables, doesn't matter! -Jenn

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  15. A wonderful seasonal treat to be enjoyed for a few weeks until the next one comes along.
    ps The yeast is suitable for bread machines.

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  16. I LOVE asparagus and it seems as if it has been a good season for them here in the US...but it is almost over. I even love asparagus RAW !

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    1. Definitely not trying it raw!

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    3. I love it raw too, especially the young tips of the fronds from the ones which are left on the plant to mature. They are good in salad and taste like home grown peas.

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  17. I am a great fan of asparagus but have never been successful with growing it. Yours looked delicious.

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    1. It really likes sandy light soil but with plenty of rain, which don't really go together around here.

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  18. I like my asparagus soft and with toast and with lots of butter.

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  19. Great to have produce from the garden so early. I am a bit ambivalent about Asparagus. We nearly have a picking of Rhubarb though, and everyone likes THAT!

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  20. I never tried it until I was a grown up! I watched a programme about it - maybe a countryfile or gardners world and I was fascinated at how it grows and how hard work it was. SO when I treat myself to it I buy the best organic one I can and I enjoy it steamed or grilled with chicken or eggs like you have shown! It does ,ake my wee smell funny though hahaha

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  21. I don't see why we need any foreign works when so many people are on furlough and students not at uni when I was 16 I picked fruit starting with strawberries going right through to apples and pears in late autumn. We need to keep our borders closed and use our own people.

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  22. How wonderful to be harvesting your asparagus already, it does look tasty.

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  23. In Victoria Australia we have had people stood down from airlines going to help the farmers,pilots,stewards,baggage handlers etc filling in when seasonal workers from the Pacific Islands couldn't come over!

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  24. I have only ever enjoyed asparagus once in a restaurant. I don't know what they did, but it was amazing!

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  25. Looks delicious! I wasn't a big fan of asparagus until my daughter grilled it for me. It was yummy!

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  26. Love asparagus in this house!!! We tried growing it but didn't have any luck at all.

    God bless.

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  27. I love it, husband isn't keen which suits me. We have an asparagus bed which my brother in law tends. He spent a long time setting up this with vertical slabs down the sides to prevent the infiltration of othe weeds. His labours have paid off.
    Don't get me started on the lack of farm workers. Unfortunately a lot of people would rather sit at home with their furloughed pay than get out and do something that is desperately needed. Rant over!

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  28. I love asparagus, I'd happily tuck into that plate!

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