Asparagus growing

In our first post we mentioned that asparagus was recognized for its aphrodisiac effect from early times. The new ‘Eat This, Not That!’ book exposes which food will enhance your love life. Guess who is high on the Hot list in the “Hot or Not” food quiz.

Yeah, its our lovely asparagus!

They say:

“Hot! It may not seem like a sexy veggie (especially when it’s steamed to the point of limpness –yikes), but asparagus is one of the oldest aphrodisiacs out there. And for good reason — asparagus is packed with vitamin E, which stimulates the production of sex hormones.”

Source: Hot or not? Best and worst foods for your sex drive

Technorati Tags: aphrodisiac, asparagus, asparagus facts, asparagus nutrition, sex drive

Asparagus is normally harvested by hand. The use of mechanical harvesters might provide an opportunity to improve harvest quality but to date a mechanical harvester has not been able to replace manual harvesting. Limiting aspects of the mechanical harvesters were identified as: recovery of spears, damage to the existing spears, and damage to the harvested product.

Manual asparagus harvesting in China

Mechanical asparagus harvester

Technorati Tags: asparagus harvesting

In the post “How to grow asparagus in your garden” we mentioned that you can grow asparagus from seed or you can plant one or two year old crowns or transplant seedlings.

In case you don’t know, a crown is the root system of an asparagus plant. These crowns can be one or even two year old. You can order them online or buy them in your local nursery or garden center. It is best to plant them in your garden upon receipt, but sometimes the weather does not cooperate. If you receive your crowns fresh you will be able to hold the crowns for two weeks without refrigeration. Store them in a cool, dry location. Soak them in water before planting, if they start to dry out.

By using crowns or seedlings you will speed up your asparagus growing process for one year, but keep in mind that there is always a risk of failure when it comes to transplanting. There are around 10%-15% of failures for one year old stock and as high as 20% for 2 year old stock. So this can end up as a expensive lesson.

Growing asparagus from seed, on the other hand, gives the best viability, with a survival rate of around 100%. Also, with direct sowing there is no root shock to delay  root development.

If you choose seeds the best time to sow them is around mid-April when the ground is warm enough.  A good tip is to soak the seeds in water for a couple of hours before planting. This will speed up the germination process considerably.

So, to summarize I’ll say that growing from seed is the cheapest method but it is more time-consuming. It will take you an extra year to get a crop, but asparagus grown from seed will have almost zero failure rate.

Technorati Tags: asparagus crowns, asparagus garden, asparagus growing, asparagus seed, planting asparagus

Decorative asparagus originates from southern Africa and there are more then 200 species. The most popular are Asparagus Sprengeri and Asparagus Plumosus. The elegant branches of this plant are covered with acicular leaves and look best in hanging vessel.

photo credit: The Equinest

This plant can be grown within the house or in the garden. Likes illuminated spots and in the winter it can be placed in shady places. It does not like dry, warm environment, and direct sun. If kept in the house, it is necessary to periodically sprinkle it with water due to dry air caused by heating. Let the soil dry out between two watering. In the summer time water it more often and keep the plant outdoors so the leaves can get their true color.

photo credit: audreyjm529

It is reproduced by dividing the roots and it is recommended to replant it in a bigger pot every spring. Add fertilizer every 15-20 days. If the parts of plants got yellowed (remove this parts for better development and more beautiful appearance) it may be because of too much water with lime or a lack of iron. Add some product based on iron in the normal fertilizer. If the soil is too dry and if the plant is exposed to direct light it can loose all of its leaves. The same can happen if the environment is too cold.

photo credit: kanegen

Technorati Tags: asapragus, decoration, growing

Ingredients

Onion
Garlic
Parsley
Celery leaf
Bunch of asparagus
A little bit of chili
Chive, basil, oregano or other herbs on request
Tomato juice
Salt
Olive oil

Preparation

Stew the chopped onion on olive oil. When tender, add the asparagus, garlic, chili, finely chopped celery leaves and parsley, tomato juice and other herbs. Add some salt and stew a little bit more.

photo credit: arifm

Technorati Tags: asparagus recipes, pasta, sauce

photo credit: 46137
Dough

15 dkg spelt flour
15 dkg self-raising flour
4 oil (sunflower, olive)
1 teaspoon salt

Dissolve one half of fresh yeast (about 20 g) in a warm milk mixed with 1 teaspoon of sugar and 2 teaspoons of flour. When grown, mix it with the above ingredients by adding some water or milk (about 1.5 dl). When it starts to separate from the pot, cover and place on warm.

Filling

1 large bulb of onion
1 bunch of asparagus
3-5 cloves of garlic
Stew the chopped onions, asparagus and garlic on olive oil.

Feta cheese
Hard cheese for pizza
Mashed tomatoes
Oregano

Preparation

1) Stretch lifted dough with your hands or roller and put it on an oiled brass.

2) Put mashed tomatoes, asparagus cream, shredded cheese and oregano on the dough.

3) You can add olives and mushrooms if you like.

Technorati Tags: asparagus pizza, asparagus recipes