One of the very first spring harvests from our Ottawa food forests is asparagus. Asparagus is a long-lived, low-maintenance perennial that is a pleasure to ‘forage’ and eat. We plant them here and there between trees.
While it takes 2 to 3 years to establish as a solid producer, it then continues to produce for 25 years or more. It requires very little maintenance, is not susceptible to animal browsing, and is a joy to monitor and harvest.
This year’s asparagus season lasted approximately 6 weeks (from first week of May to third week of June). Once each asparagus plant is established, each can produce 20-25 spears per plant.
There are many wonderful recipes for asparagus, but one of the best ways to prepare it is to break it off at the stem and eat it raw while wandering to find the next spear.
Ottawa Food Forests 