Right click on this and select save as to download the video above;   Please be patient as it is a fairly large file.

How Asparagus Grows
Asparagus is a perennial member of the lily family. The root (or crown) is planted in an 8 inch deep trench. After it is established, the trench is filled with soil to make the field level. No asparagus is harvested for the first 2 years. For the next two years, it is harvested for two weeks in spring when spears appear. In subsequent years we pick from early spring until the end of June. Picking must always stop by the end of June to allow the plant to grow into a fern so the crowns can store nutrients for winter. See the picture of Doug & Elna in front of the fern mid summer.

Picking We start picking every year as soon as the first tender shoots appear (about the same time as the dandelions arrive) and pick for about six weeks. We have started as early as May 5 and as late as May 25. Every spear is hand picked just above the ground. As soon as possible after picking, we remove the sun’s heat by quickly chilling in ice cold water.

Tender
We hand pick and snap each spear to ensure that you are purchasing only the most tender portion of each spear. The tough ends are left in the garden. There is no need to trim or snap our asparagus again. The thickness of the stalks does not affect tenderness. In fact, Elna prefers the thicker spears, because they are the sweetest.

Sweet & Fresh Our cool Alberta climate produces extremely sweet asparagus. The purple color on the tips indicates very high sugar content. These sugars are retained by quickly chilling in ice cold water to keep the sugars from turning to starches. You are buying directly from our farm so no lag-time or warehouse storage ensures only the freshest, most tender asparagus.

Please contact us - we would love to have you come to our farm and see our rather unique operation!