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ОглавлениеAsparagus with Pea Shoots and Mint
Being one of those slow-growing vegetables with a short (eight-week) glut, British asparagus comes at a price too high for it to be anything but a treat. Having said that, I would be happy to live off bread and lentils at that time if I could eat asparagus by the kilo. Its arrival in the shops is a happy moment, an affirmation of spring. When the supply begins to dwindle and the spears begin to look a little hairy and overblown, it’s like the end of a birthday.
British asparagus should be all over the place in season, which, depending on the weather, runs from late April to the third week of June. Look for it in greengrocer’s shops and supermarkets; the boxes are usually heavily emblazoned with Union Jacks. Buying asparagus locally not only supports farmers in the region where you live, it also makes sense in terms of freshness. Competing with it will be the Spanish. I have to say I am not unhappy about using Spanish asparagus before the British season begins because it can be very good. Air-freighted baby Peruvian and Thai asparagus is tasteless and pointless.
Buying asparagus
To find your nearest asparagus grower, see www.british-asparagus.co.uk (tel: 01507 602427). To find a farmers’ market, check your local council website or www.lfm.ore.uk for London markets.
For mail-order asparagus, contact Sandy Patullo, who grows exceptional asparagus and sea kale (another delicious edible stalk) in Scotland: Eassie Farm, By Glamis, Angus DD8 1SG; tel: 01307 840303.
All the major supermarkets sell British asparagus in season.
