My grandbaby loves almost all vegetables....she was VERY excited to pick our 1st harvest of asparagus. Had to make some for her right away of course!
BTW...does anyone eat it uncooked? I gave some to a friend last year and she told me her hubby eats it raw. Just curious.
Raw is wonderful.
You needn't really cook many veggies, they can all be eaten raw. Healthier. A big exception is mushrooms, they should always be cooked to neutralize some carcinogens they have in them.
One fellow asked me, "What's this?", holding up a thin slice of something from his salad on his fork.
"Sweet potato."
"WHAT!!! If you'd told me that I would be eating RAW sweet potato and liking it, I would have NEVER believed it!" hahahaha
1/4 inch thick, or thinner. Little squares. Quite tasty.
Of Asparagus, I snap off the growing tip, leaving a couple of limbs to keep growing.
seedsower, how long does it take before you can harvest them? I planted 2 little starts last fall. They are up but are so delicate.
Your grandbaby is a cutie! And what a pleasure that she likes her veggies.
I'm with you Molamola. Raw veggies, yum. And I like raw asparagus too. Tossed into a pasta primavera. Heaven.
There's carcinogens in raw mushrooms? Yikes! I put them on my salads all the time. Do you know of any sites that have further information on this?
Thanks! I never would have guessed that they were bad for us.
Edited because I'm not sure how many carcinogens they actually have. One of the links puts them in the same category as celery and peanuts?
This message was edited May 19, 2009 6:50 PM
Hey blugrassmom
They say 3 yrs is the norm for picking.....my asparagus bed is about 25 years old which is pretty much its lifespan. Time for me to plant some more myself!
Hi all,
I planted asparagus seed last spring. Most of it has come up this year, but is still very delicate. How long before I can harvest it?
Thanks,
Nick
Put two asparagus seedlings in a couple of weeks ago and they have tiny spears coming up. Is it better to snip these off and let the plant establish itself? They are very tiny.
Don't snip, just let them grow... they'll turn into ferny fronds. The second year, you may be able to harvest just a spear or two, and by the third year things should be swinging right along.
Thanks, Critter. Now if I can just keep it going that long - we haven't had much luck with our veggies - something always happens! LOL
I have a couple of the ferny looking fronds. Just let them grow? I hope by next year we have a few to eat.
I go out in the spring mow my Asparagus bed down, till lightly to work in last years mulch, add a little 19--19-19, and re-mulch. After I have finished picking for the year I, add some more 19-19-19, and just let it grow, until next spring.
i was watching the food network and one of the chefs had fresh asparagus which he cooked in a brown paper bag in the oven. he first drizzled some oil over the asparagus and then placed them in the bag. he folded the bag over and again rubbed more oil over the bag to keep it from burning. unfortunately i can't remember what temp he had the oven on or how long he cooked it. sorry.
My kids and I love it just baked in the oven on 350 with a little olive oil and seasonings on it.
Bluegrassmom, the ferny bits are the leaves, the plant. The baby emerging stems are what you eat, only in the early spring. If the fronds have stems as big as a pencil, then you can harvest one time that spring. Then leave them alone to grow the rest of the season. Every time you cut, they get littler.
I used to heap old stall cleanings and leaves and whatever else I could get in the early fall, as soon as the fluffy plants turned golden, umm, dead. Three or four iches of fresh 'stuff' and couple of weeks later, more, ad more. The roots go out sideways from the crown many feet, three, four, more, as well as dow deep. then in late February, rke back a bit, so the new sprouts aren't too deep.
I don't know how the commercial guys grow asparagus so big sometimes. Maybe they live next door to a chicken farm!
I had a grapefruit knife, size of a steak knife but with the end bent a little sideways. I'd push this down right beside the stalk to cut. Being very very careful and attentive to cut only that one stalk.
Fluffy white row covers will deter those pesky beetles and their eggs and caterpillars. Otherwise, the eggs are a bit of protien, or you can scrape them off.
So, I should quit watering, etc., when they turn brown? These are in a raised bed with other veggies - just a couple of plants for a test - but I can route the water around them if nec. How would they do in a straw bale?
Asparagus is a heavy feeder and likes of manure, compost ect.
I was told that using rock salt around asparagus plants would inhibit weeds without hurting the asparagus. Does anyone have experience with this idea?
Great picture. I love it when kids are interested in gardening. I am doing my best to get mine interested. They only seem to be interested in picking the veggies not so much growing them or weeding. I have to admit I hate weeding too.
