In the culinary calendar the arrival of asparagus announces that spring has well and truly arrived. It’s a special landmark in the horticultural year and nothing quite beats the first taste of the season. For the purists it’s hard to beat lightly steamed asparagus dipped in a soft boiled egg or a handful of spears dripping with melted butter? If you’re less traditional perhaps you’ve discovered the delights of roasting asparagus.
Regardless of how you prefer to cook your asparagus the key to it tasting great is freshness. At Lotmead Farm as soon as the asparagus is ready it’s picked and put straight onto our shelves. As it’s very responsive to the weather, the warmer the better. The amount harvested each day can vary greatly. Perhaps not so convenient for you if you happen to time your visit with a less productive day however, our aim is to provide you with a constant supply throughout the season.
Regardless of how you prefer to cook your asparagus the key to it tasting great is freshness. At Primrose Vale as soon as the asparagus is ready it’s picked and put straight onto our shelves. As it’s very responsive to the weather, the warmer the better. The amount harvested each day can vary greatly. Perhaps not
so convenient
for you if you happen to time your
visit with a less productive day however, our aim is to provide you with a constant supply throughout
the season.
With that in mind our bed of asparagus have been cultivated at Lotmead. Seedlings were planted in the early summer several years ago and then they were left for a further two. The plants needed to become well established and grow a good root system before we were able to harvest any asparagus. Annually the first spears are cut around mid April, then the last cut as tradition dictates is mid summers day. This gives the plants plenty of time to recover after an intensive couple of months picking.
Originally asparagus grew in the Eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor and is a member of the lily family. Records of asparagus being planted date back to 200BC. It was much prized by the Romans and ancient Egyptians. In fact “as quick as cooking asparagus” was an old Roman saying meaning something accomplished quickly.
Whether you prefer the thick or thin spears try and select stalks of uniform thickness for more control in the cooking process. If you’re not going to eat it straight away store it unwashed in the fridge, upright in a jar with about an inch of water in the bottom.
When preparing asparagus it’s your decision as to whether you remove any woody parts by snapping them off or peeling. Wash the asparagus holding the tips downwards in running water to remove any grit. Take care if it’s been raining as the grit can be a little more persistent.
As to how you cook it, if it’s your first time it’s hard to go wrong with steaming. Place one or two layers in the steamer. If you’ve selected very thin spears check them after 2 minutes, increasing the cooking time depending on the thickness. Five minutes should be the maximum if you wish to retain a little bite. If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, or as the season progresses and you’re looking for something different why not make soup, add to a creamy pasta dish, a risotto, or perhaps make a tart?