Asparagus is one of the very few herbaceous perennial vegetables we eat. The plant dies down completely in winter and new shoots – spears – sprout from bare ground in spring, which unfurl into tall fern-like feathery leaves. If we don’t cut those spears off and eat them, that is. Harvest too many, and you end up with not a lot of green growth over the summer and weakening the plant.
So asparagus is a long-term investment; you plant the crowns, and you wait for them to bulk up before you start taking your earnings little by little, always making sure you leave sufficient capital for future. I planted my asparagus bed in the spring of 2020, as soon as I got my plot. This spring, I took my harvest for the first time. Just a spear from each plant.
Luckily my husband is not keen on asparagus, so all of these precious spears are for me. Lightly cooked, they are absolutely delicious. Am I biased? Of course I am, they are not just asparagus spears, they are a reward for the three years of patient waiting and nurturing.