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Asparagus has Sprung!
The Jewel in the soil….
Lincolnshire’s finest export (after me 
) has to be asparagus. I am sure other ‘corn crunchers’ (Lincolnshire folk) would beg to differ but as we are famous for growing vegetables and asparagus is a fine vegetable indeed then there be my argument.
Having cut back my asparagus bushes slightly later than I would have liked I wasn’t particularly optomistic about this years crop. To be honest I’d more or less forgotten about it but then that wouldn’t be the first time. But then, after a morning spent repairing my fruit cage I fell over one of the raised beds and landed on the asparagus!
Dusting myself off, my mild annoyance soon gave way to mild euphoria as I perused my bed of emerging asparagus. A good dose of rain and sunshine has pushed the little fellas up and out and I am counting the days to cutting and eating them. May is the time for asparagus in England, they are there and abouts at the end of April and into June but May is best. As frustrating as the short season is it is worth making the most of, remind yourself of the long wait before it comes around again and go for it. When I worked in Germany we would serve a seperate menu dedicated to all things ’spargel’; soup, salad, fish and meat with it, vegetarian, you name it, we did it. I should do something similar in the restaurant.
English asparagus really is wonderful, boiled, steamed or grilled, I don’t care. Just don’t do something daft and serve it simply with some lemon and butter, or, even better a nice grilled fish of your choice…
Don’t forget me when it’s ready for harvesting - I love asparagus !
April 14, 2008 @ 12:13 pm
Miles,
.
I think we might form a que here for the harvest
I believe that the aspargus favoured in Germany is white and as you say, appeares everywhere during May. It used to be extremely expensive due to the way it has to be harvested. However, prices have dropped due to imports. Nobody wants to work those fields any more.
Good photo.
Elsie
April 14, 2008 @ 12:50 pm
EN
Not far enough for a bookseller they haven’t
April 14, 2008 @ 2:40 pm
Rod,
Sorry, who are you again?
Miles
April 14, 2008 @ 3:16 pm
Miles
Sorry, who are you again?
I’m known locally by the nom de geurre
Johnny No Asparagus !
April 14, 2008 @ 4:24 pm
Miles,
You are always falling over a part of your garden…. is it especially windy on the Collins Estate? (I nearly said private quarters but thought better of it
) Subsequently we’d all like to know what happened to the Rosemary you landed on some weeks back?
You can be sure Chez Cid will be serving asparagus by the bucket load as soon as the local stuff appears nearby. What with the famous yard being largely taken up with exotic kale and tropical flora, there’s just no room left to grow it or indeed time to tend it, alas.
Cid
April 14, 2008 @ 5:28 pm
Elsie,
Say nothing for now…. it looks like a midnight raid is called for to acquire Lincolnshire’s best organic veg. We’ll need to time it by the light of a full moon…. I’ll provide the surveillance goggles. It’s obvious to me that Miles has booby-trapped the whole area, that’s why he keeps falling over and there’ll probably be laser beams. Now would be a good time to watch Entrapment before we strike
Cid
April 14, 2008 @ 5:36 pm
Cid,
I am an expert in falling over and/or treading on anything I plant, it’s par for the course with me.
The rosemary is still in situ until I pull my finger out and re design that part of the garden.
Miles
April 14, 2008 @ 6:00 pm
Rod,
re name; it suits you-stick with it
Miles
April 14, 2008 @ 6:02 pm
Cid,
We could dress up as hedgehogs, keep low to the ground and make snorting sounds as necessary. I’ll bring the baskets and a Schnaps on account of the cold nights.
Elsie
April 14, 2008 @ 6:29 pm