It might be short, but the asparagus season sure is sweet. Make the most of what little time you have and tuck into these tender spears of goodness while you can.
Tipped for the top
One of the delicacies of the food year, asparagus is a taste to anticipate and savour. It's not the cheapest of foods, so growing your own can both save your pocket and ensure you enjoy asparagus at its freshest. Although you have to wait for up to three years, once asparagus starts cropping it will keep going and going.
Asparagus recipes
The beauty of asparagus is that you don't have to slave over a hot stove. Asparagus is classically enjoyed, simply steamed al dente with butter or a hollandaise sauce (see recipe below). If you don't mind spending a little extra time in the kitchen, we have a couple of other equally delicious National Trust recipes up our sleeves:
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How to plant asparagus
© NTPL / Paul Harris
To start with, growing asparagus can seem painstakingly slow. Give it a couple of years and you'll start to reap the rewards.
- Prepare the bed the autumn before sowing. Dig a trench 20cm (8") deep and 1.2m (4') wide. Add manure or leafmould, and grit if the soil is heavy, then top up with about 7.5cm (3") soil
- Sowing: In late spring, buy one-year-old crowns and plant 13cm (5") deep in the trench, 45cm (18") apart each way in two staggered rows. Fill in the trench
- Growing: Hand weed regularly and keep well watered. In the autumn, cut the leaves down to the ground and mulch with well-rotted manure or compost. Protect from frosts and feed with a seaweed fertiliser the following spring
- Harvesting: Ready in 2-3 years. In the second year, around mid spring, cut off one or two spears from each plant when they're 20cm (8") tall. Cut them with a sharp knife 5cm (2") below the surface. Continue for six weeks. In the third year, you can harvest for up to eight weeks
These tips are taken from 'Home-Grown Vegetables', one of the Home-grown books available from the National Trust.
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Hit the asparagus trail
© National Trust
Asparagus makes a welcome appearance this time of year in many National Trust properties. Here's the pick of the crop:
The Fleece Inn in Worcestershire is hosting the Vale of Evesham Asparagus Festival on Bank Holiday Monday 26 May. Lots of asparagus-inspired events are taking place around the festival, and on the day you can experience cooking demos and a farmers' market. The Fleece also serves a special asparagus menu from 23 April until mid June.
You'll find asparagus growing in the ornamental kitchen garden at Greys Court, Oxfordshire, along with other vegetables, fruit trees and flowers for cutting.
Llanerchaeron in Ceredigion has a working organic farm and two restored walled gardens. Asparagus, along with other fruit, vegetables, herbs and plants, is grown within the walls and sold to visitors when in season.
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Also in season:
If asparagus isn't inspiring you, there are plenty more seasonal offerings to enjoy in May:
Fruit: rhubarb, early raspberries
Vegetables: broccoli (sprouting), broad beans, cabbages, carrots, lettuce, new potatoes, radishes, salad onions, samphire
Herbs: mint, parsley
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In the garden:
There's a lot to be getting on with in the garden to ensure that the good food doesn't stop...This month, you should be:
- Beginning to move young plants outside to start hardening them off
- Keeping an eye on the soil and watering if it becomes dry. Mulch when the soil is moist to help retain water
- Hoeing regularly to keep on top of weeds
- Checking for signs of pests and disease - especially under cloches
- Sowing beetroot, broad beans, carrots, chard, fennel, kale, lettuce, parsnips, peas, spinach, rocket, swede and turnips
- Sowing under glass courgettes, cucumbers, squashes and pumpkins, sweetcorn and tomatoes (outdoor)
- Planting/transplanting cabbage (summer), globe artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, early brassicas, onions and potatoes
- Planting/transplanting under glass aubergines, cucumbers and tomatoes
Enjoy!
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