We've gotten several similar pickings this week. You'll note the lack of uniformity. You don't see that in the supermarkets, but I imagine that commercial growers get a mix of sizes just like this, and simply select only the fattest for the fresh market and relegate the skinny ones to bulk processing of one kind or another. But for us, every stalk is precious and delicious. My favorite way to prepare is just lightly steamed, then add a sprinkle of sea salt. Fabulous! We should get several more weeks of harvest before letting the plants do their growing for the season.
I guess this counts as a "harvest." I grew many more onion and leek seedlings than I had room to plant, which we did this week. Rather than throw the extras into the compost, why not eat them?
The Kitchen Goddess put some in our scrambled eggs, and they were fantastic--bursting with flavor. The rest she'll put in a quiche. They were a pain to clean, she reported. So, thanks, TKG!
That's all for this week. Thanks for reading, and thanks to Dave at Our Happy Acres for continuing to host this great forum.
Non gardeners generally have no clue how little uniformity there is in veggies and fruit. The asparagus grower that I buy from at the farmers market sorts their spears into various sizes so I can buy a bunch of skinny, or "standard" or jumbo spears. I love them all.
ReplyDeleteTKG has my condolences. I recently pulled most of the onions in my garden because of a nasty downy mildew infection - it was a royal pain to clean up that lot.
Yes, the lack of uniformity should mean nothing to gardeners. For us, it's all about freshness and taste, which sounds like an advertising slogan I guess.
DeleteWow, your onion and leek seedlings are a good size. How do you plant your leeks? I was thinking about trying the trenching method this year.
ReplyDeleteYour homegrown asparagus must be wonderful, it's so expensive at the store.
Thanks, Phuong. I just use a "dibble" to make 6-inch deep holes about 3 inches apart. I set the seedlings in as deep as they will go, and water to let the holes fill up with soil naturally over time. Let us know how the trenching method works for you.
DeleteOur asparagus comes in all sizes too, and like you say every one is yummy! I wouldn't let those allium seedlings go to waste either. It's all good in my books!
ReplyDeleteIt sure is!
DeleteYum, yum - we had our first ever asparagus harvest just over an hour ago. Amazing! It will be a sparse year as it's only their 3rd year (from seed) but at least we are finally reaping some rewards after all this waiting!
ReplyDeleteWe've always used rootstock to grow asparagus, so I'm glad your patience for growing from seed is being rewarded.
ReplyDelete