May 27, 2021
The Lettuce Rejoice!
Firmly Rooted Farm's Newsletter for their Veggie Loving Farm-ily
On the Farm: The Uprising of Asparagus
Hello again my veggie loving friends,
This unseasonably warm weather has brought about a frenzy of irrigation on the farm. The fields are dry for this time of year, and to ensure that we can germinate and transplant crops every week on a schedule, we are watering fields frequently. Each morning Brian is running about the fields moving lines and turning taps. We are all optimistically looking forward to the forecast for rain in the coming days and weeks, and I’m sure my poor sunburnt skin will also be thankful.
As many of you are likely aware, we have asparagus! This is extremely exciting for innumerable reasons. It takes 3 years before the plants are established enough to send out a harvestable amount of the tasty stalks we all know and love, therefore Firmly Rooted has been lovingly tending a patch of potential with growing anticipation, year after year. Even then, the plants are not fully mature until they reach 5 years old. Its productivity declines after a few prime growing seasons, which contributes to its status as a high-value crop. Asparagus season screams spring and abundance, especially considering the stalks can grow very fast during peak growing season!
Asparagus is also known by its folk name, sparrow grass, which derives from 18th century England when asparagus became more popular in people’s home gardens. It is a perennial flowering plant, whose young shoots are eaten as a vegetable. Like all vegetables at some point in time, it was collected and cultivated from the wild. Its native range includes most of Europe, Northern Africa, and western temperate Asia.
Asparagus is an ancient vegetable, known to be enjoyed as far back as ancient Egypt, as it has been found depicted on Egyptian tombs dating from 4th century B.C.E. There is also evidence suggesting it was cultivated in ancient Rome, an important difference from wild harvest, as this indicates that humans have been selectively breeding the vegetable for thousands of years. A recipe for asparagus is included in the oldest known recipe book, Cooking and Dining in Imperial Rome (De Re Coquinaria) which may date back to the 1st century A.C.E. The author Apicius calls for asparagus to be peeled, washed, dried, bunched according to size, and immersed in boiling water backwards (meaning standing upright with the tips above the water) to make the vegetable agreeable to the palate. You can access a free copy of the e-book here. The translators of the text ponder the notable skill evident in Apicius’ cooking style, but I am curious how the vegetable has evolved in flavour and texture throughout centuries of breeding. I personally find raw asparagus to be quite agreeable to the palate and wonder what the tongues of the ancients tasted those many years ago.
A well-maintained asparagus patch produces beautiful thick stalks. The plant doesn’t have many pests but for one, the asparagus beetle, which lays its oblong eggs on the tips of the stalk. We often harvest the plant twice a day, simply because the plant grows so fast. The plant produces asparagusic acid, a sulphur compound, which is the culprit for making your pee smell after you eat asparagus. Asparagus season is not very long, and people, such as me, go wild for it. Pickled, grilled, sautéed, you name it, asparagus is a delight to behold.
Kitchen Corner
While Apicius’ recipe for asparagus serves as a fine culinary and literary curiosity, it may lack practicality in the contemporary era. After all, we’ve established that asparagus, as it grows today, is quite palatable raw, let alone cooked. My favourite way to enjoy the vegetable is grilled on a wood pellet BBQ, allowing it to take on a little bit of smoke flavour. I simply toss asparagus in olive oil, salt, and garlic with a little lemon, grill, and finish with some parmesan. Or for more creativity, I whisk together some miso, brown sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, water, and fresh ginger, toss the asparagus, and grill or roast it in a pan, allowing for some nice caramelization. However you enjoy it or serve with it, asparagus is a trusty side dish or main meal.
Kitchen Clean-Up
The seedling sale inventory will be updated yet again! As before, you can add seedlings at our shop here: https://www.harvie.farm/farm/firmly-rooted-farm/shop. These seedlings will be available for pick up the week of May 27th and 28th.
That’s all for now folks, happy eating until next time!
Farmer Erika
