I lived in Los Angeles for over 14 years after High School. Let’s just call it an adventure in city life.  There was so much I missed while living there about the farm. There is just something about walking across the farm to our patch of asparagus, cutting them out of the ground, and cooking them for dinner that night.

This patch of asparagus has been there since my mother was a child. I believe she said her parents planted it, and it is growing stronger than ever! That’s funny because everything I read about it says it should be good for up to 20 years…We are easily over the 50 year mark.  I planted a few more plants just down the hill from it to contribution to all that I pick. They say that asparagus losses much of its nutrients just hours after it’s picked, along with several other types of veggies, however proper storage can slow this process down a bit. (Asparagus facts) This is why I am so happy to pick it and use it right away. Also, when I was in Los Angeles I had to fork out a pretty penny for a small bunch of the stuff, only to leave me wanting for more after my meal was over…Is this any way to live? Happily, I eat as much as I can while it is in season and wait for next years crop to come around again.

I say all this for another reason, that is…GO OUT AND PLANT! Now is a great time to plant asparagus if you love it as much as I do. The asparagus I planted last year will take another year or two to get comfy in the soil before it really starts to produce anything. If you plan on being where you are at for a while, plant some now to enjoy later while you are sitting in that rocking chair. It grows so fast this time of year that you will be able to literally watch it grow. I harvest the asparagus every other day to get a good bunch.

I will be serving myself and my family a nice asparagus noodle stir fry dish for dinner

However there are a ton of things to do with asparagus…Sometimes I take a bite of it right out of the ground, but I can only handle so much of that freshness, which leads me on other adventures of cooking with asparagus. Some easy no fail ideas include sautéing it with olive oil, sea salt and a bit of garlic and lemon. I also throw it in a bunch of pastas. I have not tried a salad yet…Maybe that will be next.

Look at all that yummy asparagus!

I have been harvesting for several weeks now which only means one thing, a few weeks more and my love fest with asparagus will be over. I will have to prolong it by shopping at some local farmers markets with fingers crossed. It is not something I see a lot of around here. It truly does take patience to plant it but the rewards are endless.

Growing Asparagus