January 26, 2009

Asparagus anyone?

The asparagus plants look nice over winter and I'm eager for the first harvest this spring. Year before last we finally gave up on trying to keep the backyard looking good and put in quite a few raised beds. Asparagus, strawberries, potatoes, tomatoes, greens, cucumbers, squash etc... are much tastier than a lawn!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

My asparagus plot is going on its third year. Before it got cold in December, shoots were coming up. I snapped them off and ate them. I've found that this is the best way to eat asparagus--raw right out of the ground. Call me weird... Love your picture of the asparagus berries.

Anonymous said...

Asparagus? Yes, please! Yum. How lucky you are to grow your own.

Connie said...

I love how the asparagus looks...still holding it's beauty!
I would love to have an asparagus bed...it is in the plans for our next garden bed, as well as Rhubarb.

Chris said...

I planted rhubarb last year and the plants were doing well. Now I need to come up with some recipes for it. I don't eat rhubarb much because I usually limit sugar and other sweeteners.

If we have too much of something we usually make it into wine. I haven't been fond of rhubarb wines but we haven't tried making our own yet.

Tatyana@MySecretGarden said...

I need to show this post to my husband, to help me to get more of his lawn for my flower and vegetable beds! Thanks!

Chris said...

We just figured that if we were going to put a lot of work into what we grow we also wanted to get a lot out of it. The raspberries, asparagus, strawberries and other perennials have been especially nice in that respect. Also the raised beds helped to make the vegetable gardens easier to maintain and were needed since the soil isn't great in our backyard.

Kathi said...

What a great pic. I love asparagus. I have never attempted to grow it though.

My grandparents and great grandparents both had aspargus planted by their cabins and even after all these years (my grandparents died in the early 1960's) it is still there wild. When I drive down to visit my brother in Wisconsin I always wander over by where their cabins used to stand and find the wild aspargus and pick it.

I just find it ironic that I am afraid to grow it and yet I see the wild stuff growing where my ancestor's cabins used to be - so in spite of what I have heard, how hard can it really be to grow? I should dig up some from home and transplant it here.

Chris said...

I've heard that once established, it lasts a long time. If a plant is edible and lasts a long time, I just have to have it in my garden! I'm not sure how well it would transplant. My asparagus bed is doing well and has required minimal work (a little weeding and watering). I'm glad I decided to try growing it.

Chris said...

Grace- I never tried it raw. I will have to munch some right from the garden this spring. I do like it lightly steamed. I think it is best with nothing added to it while my husband prefers a plate of cheese sauce with a little asparagus.

Connie said...

My favorite way to cook asparagus is to sautee in a little butter, then add a dash of (Wheat free) soy sauce and a squeeze of lime, and lastly... some toasted sesame seeds thrown in for a bit of crunch. Yum!

Chris said...

Sounds good Connie! I like asparagus most any way as long as it is fresh and just lightly cooked.

Thanks for visiting!