Asparagus season has started!

[isthatporridgeinyourzone]

Bought some from the side of the road today. Steamed with butter - yum. How do you eat yours?

God I love asparagus. Might make a bed next year.

You are still in the zone then?

Microwaved (it works well) with butter

Still zoning - only a mild case of biffing on asparagus...until tommorrow! Anyway all that gardening must keep us fit!

Home grown is lovely but got bloody asparagus beetles on mine and spent all summer picking the little bastards off.

how big a bed have you got?

oh, I really want one now. Wish I had done it last year, but we spent the whole year clearing the forest that was our garden and we have done a lot in the time. But it takes three years to get anything, is that right?

Did have - got rid of it after the beetles invaded. Did take 3 years to get established because you can't pick the spears until then. That was pretty tortuous in year 2, let me tell you. I think one or two may have gone AWOL but didn't seem to affect productivity over all.

How are the bees?

Oh good. Smelly wee for the whole of May, here I come. I'd love to get DH to grow my own but doesn't it take years to get a crop?

The bees are great thanks. We have lots of rape near us, which is a bit of a pain as we were hoping they would pollinate the orchard, instead they are buzzing straight off down the fields. Still, we should have a good load of honey soon.

The pigs are here too, they are great. How is all your livestock?

I can't smell the wee thing, I don't seem to have the right kind of nose!

Totally get the wee thing Wilf, it is rank. I need your nose Humph.

I swap asparagus for bees any day. lol at disobediant bees. Wonder what your honey will taste like. Thinking honeycomb now and drooling.

Livestock all fine - chickens are scratching about in the new home in our little wood and they love it in there. Trying to keep them off newly seeded meadow area. Aargh.

As soldiers dipped in soft boiled egg

mmmmmmmm

BBQ'd them at the weekend - yum
steamed tonight with oodles of butter and pepper and a bit of Parmesan.

I love smelly wee season.

Ooh, sorry, quick hijack - HumphreyCobbler, we have pigs too, arrived a couple of weeks ago, 3 Gloucester Old Spots. They are fantastic. Are there other MN pig keepers?

Asparagus - yum yum. But why does Tescos still sell stuff shipped in from Peru?

Yum to soft boiled egg and parmesan. That's tommorrow and Friday sorted.

Am jealous of the meadow too. We might do a meadow one day. You aren't in Wales by any chance are you porridge?

The FowlAndThePussycat, so glad to find another pig keeper. Are you going to eat yours? Ours are Kune Kune/berkshire crosses.

No Norfolk. Am trying seeding just wildflowers with no grasses. Apparently grasses will colonise anyway but this method allows perennials to establish first. Soil is shite so they should like it!

Love the pig talk.

Dipped in a soft boiled egg is my favourite, yummy.

Yep,the pigs are for the pot I'm afraid. We have formed a pig club, 6 families, 3 pigs. We've wanted to have a go at keeing them for ages & finally got round to it this year. It's really exciting. How about you?

Ooh when I was 16, I went out with someone who got a summer job on an asparagus farm, it was great

Asparagus Tempura is good. Had that at a nice chinese restaurant a couple of times.

What is the 'in season' price for asparagus. Saw it in the shop the other day for about £3 and thought that was dear

I think I am Queen Threadkiller

Roasted with balsamic vinegar and lemon juice.

May mostly Skymoo, gets spindly after then.

Last week we had asparagus, with chips and a big bloody steak with lots of hollandaise.
mmm mmm mmm

My local market has English asparagus for £2 a bunch now, it was about £2.99 in sainsburys last week.

i love asparagus. i even like the smell of post asparagus wee.

steamed or griddled. with butter or paramsan or a drizzle of balsamic.

yumola

This foaming Hollandaise recipe from Delia really works and it is much more stable and easier to make than normal Hollandaise. It can be frozen in batches for quick impromptu use and lower calorie too.

Okay in the Market yesterday English asparagus 5 fat stalks £2.00. I brought 10 because I nearly brought 200gms Italian nougat from a stall £4.50!!!! Asparagus better for my family's teeth & health!