It is the right time to buy white and green asparagus. “Due to the mild weather the supply in asparagus is excellent,” explains Carsten Wenke, in Münster Germany. The asparagus expert is an advisor of the Chamber of Agriculture in Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW) and a regular guest of the asparagus farmers in NRW. “If you want to store and preserve asparagus, you should purchase them now,” recommends the expert.
After the very cold April month the asparagus have grown very well in the last few weeks. And the 24th of June, Midsummer, the season ends traditionally, this gives the plant time during the summer to recover for the new season.
“But some fields will stop producing earlier this year” expects Wenke. As a result the decrease in availability will lead to an increase in the price. The reason for the earlier end of the production is simple. Many producers cover the asparagus with plastic to protect them from the cold and to have the first asparagus ready as early as possible. However this does mean that the asparagus need to start their recovery period sooner.