Anyone who waits until the end of the asparagus season could be too late: Due to the early start of the harvest this year, some asparagus farmers are not expecting to be able to deliver the white spears by the traditional end of the season on June 24th. The Association of South German Asparagus and Strawberry Growers in Bruchsal near Karlsruhe therefore recommended that towards the end of the season, before buying asparagus, make sure whether the respective producer can harvest by June 24th, St. John’s Day.
According to the statement, the asparagus season has been challenging so far due to the weather. In particular, farmers would have had to control the temperature with foil. As a result, demand was mostly met. The qualities have also been good so far, as asparagus cultivation consultant Ludger Aldenhoff said. “There were few thin rods.” With the warm nights there will now be more asparagus, the expert announced.
Across all marketing channels and sorting, the average consumer price for white asparagus from Germany last week was 8.58 euros per kilogram, as Claudio Gläßer from Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (AMI) explained. Compared to the previous year, that was an increase of eleven cents.
Tip: Asparagus lasts longer
“If you want to extend the asparagus season for yourself or want to remind yourself of it, you can also freeze white and green asparagus,” it continued. To do this, the spears should be peeled immediately after purchase (for green asparagus only the lower third), the woody ends cut off and then frozen raw in portions. The asparagus can be steamed or fried directly for three to five minutes without defrosting.