Asparagus

As featured in the first show, River Cottage Spring, asparagus is a not-to-be-missed seasonal treat, but it’s vital to get hold of the really good stuff – and that means spears that have been cut within hours rather than days. As soon as the plant is cut, the sugar begins to revert to starch, with a subsequent loss of sweetness. The best plan is to make the effort to discover the whereabouts of your nearest commercial asparagus grower, and bother them a lot during May. You may also be lucky enough to find a pick-your-own farm specialising in asparagus.

 

Near me in Dorset is a lovely lady who grows asparagus commercially, but on a small scale.  She completely understands the value of the just-cut product, and some locals will go and collect at a time when they know she'll be harvesting (deliberately or not, it often happens to coincde with the school run).  Those who buy it at the local village shop will, if they time it right, be eating their asparagus within five or six hours of it being picked.

 

Incidentally, you can buy yourself a couple of extra hours' sugar by keeping your asparagus wrapped in a wet tea towel in the fridge.  If you've managed to get hold of some good stuff but want to keep it for more than 24 hours before eating, then blanche it in boiling water for 2 minutes as soon as you get it home.  Refresh it in cold water, then keep it wrapped in the fridge for a day or two.  To serve, plunge back into boiling water for another 3-4 mintues, then serve straight away with melted butter.

 

If you wish to learn more about growing asparagus, and other crops, yourself, why not try one of our gardening courses here at Park Farm.  For delicious asparagus recipes from Gill our head chef at River Cottage HQ, click here.