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Old 04-05-2004, 08:06 PM
Kay Easton
 
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Default How to pick asparagus

In article , Sue da Nimm
.? writes
I've just had my wrist slapped for cutting asparagus spears with secateurs.
My neighbour says I should pull the spears to avoid leaving a stump.
But Marshalls catalogue offers an asparagus knife to cut the spears below
the surface.
What is the right way?


The Marshalls way. I don't think you could pull them without doing
damage. If you don't have an asparagus knife you can take a sharp
kitchen knife, slide it gently down the side of the spear (this is to
avoid nicking any still-buried spears on the way down) then tilt it and
cut about 2 inches underground.

I'm not quite sure why you cut underground since the white (underground)
bit is usually too tough, and I can't see any logical reason why cutting
at the soil surface would be a problem. But whatever you do, don't just
tug! ;-)

Could your neighbour have got confused with rhubarb?

Oh, and also ... I always leave the first spear to grow and then pick the
subsequent spears until the end of May.
So, already, the first spears are a metre tall. Is this the right way, or
should I pick so that the spears stay short until the end of the season and
then let 'em grow?


It's usually done that way round - cut everything that appears until
about mid June, thenafter leave everything. If you're stopping picking
at the end of may then there's certainly no reason why you shouldn't
just pick everything.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm