Why purchase a bundle of fresh asparagus for a few dollars when you could instead gather seeds and spend several years nurturing and developing your own patch—yielding, at best, the occasional spear? Without much deliberation, Desiree and I naturally gravitated toward the latter undertaking.
In early fall of 2022, Desiree and I
discovered a patch of tall asparagus growing along the Musselshell River. By
then, the plants had taken on hues of orange and yellow and produced an
abundance of tiny seeds.
“We could grow these,” Desiree said,
sprinkling a dozen seeds into her palm.
“Yes, we could,” I replied.
We collected several dozen seeds and,
a few weeks later, planted them in a patch of earth we had prepared near the
house. According to our internet research, it would take three growing seasons
before we could begin harvesting spears. We are now entering the third season.
During the first two, the patch produced only slender shoots that quickly
transitioned into the fern stage. This year, however, a number of sturdier
spears have begun to emerge.
I’ve included a photograph of one of
the most impressive spears, placed beside a can of Cold Smoke beer (my
preferred scale for size reference).
Perhaps we’ll harvest in the fourth
season.
Cheers.
—Mitchell Hegman
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