So guess what we had for dinner last night? Yep, we pigged out on our favorite spring treat, creamed asparagus on toast. (I ate four pieces!) Not exactly diet food but my oh my, was it good. I picked a big fat basket full and that was only one bed out of three. This afternoon I’m going to go cut the rest and can it up. Yes, it does get a little soft due to processing, but it still tastes great and we love it a lot. Besides, asparagus is good for you, having lots of vitamins and fiber.
Do you remember me telling you about our local grocery store, Zups, which burned to the ground, the winter before last? Well today I went shopping in the new, beautiful Zups! Not only is it the only grocery store within 25 miles of us but they are family owned with many of our friends and neighbors working there. The meat is great and the prices not too bad so we are very happy to have them back in the saddle after such a struggle getting everything settled so they could rebuild. My hat’s off to Matt who suffered through it all!
Today David is busy putting in the windows on the front of his cabin. Yesterday he cut out the opening in the left dormer, which is in the bathroom upstairs and today, with Will’s help, he set the window into place. It looks great and this afternoon, he’s planning on getting the next one done too.
With nice weather, work is so much easier than when it’s terribly cold. Of course, not only is it warm but actually hot. It went from thirties to over 80 degrees in three days! And still no rain. We’re under a red-flag fire warning now so no outside burning, whatsoever. We’re praying for rain big time. — Jackie
All the seeds I got from you are up! I’m so excited! Planted on Mother’s Day and have only had to water twice since. Beautiful spring in Kingston WA, best in 20 years! Got all my canning jars and extra lids, just in case!
Yes, the weather is sure crazy for sure. Sounds like your garden is off to a great start. Happy growing and stay safe!
We have been enjoying our asparagus also. As a matter of fact I have had your cookbook out and plan on making the creamed asparagus and the asparagus quiche. The quiche I plan on freezing for a later date.
I love asparagus, not only because it’s the first abundant vegetable in the garden but because you can use it so many ways. I also add it to my stir fries. Very good!
We need rain also and are eating our first pickings of asparagus too. Yum. We like to grill ours. I was able to get my lids from Menards. Regular price and only took about a week to get. Had to pay shipping but got the 11percent rebate and couldn’t find any at the local stores. Hope this helps someone.
Ohh, grilled! Try wrapping it in bacon first. A whole new experience! Drool, drool!!! I’m glad you got your lids.
Jackie, I’ve always heard that I should only eat my asparagus for the first six weeks from when it starts showing up (here in my part of AZ this year my first harvest came on Feb 9). I’m told the reason for doing this is so the bed can replenish itself for next year’s crop. But here in AZ we have a very long growing season. Can you confirm that advice or shoot it down? I ask because new spears are STILL coming up and I stopped eating it around April 15. I don’t want to damage a very productive bed, but I’d really like to be able to enjoy a longer harvest period than 6-7 weeks.
I harvest mine longer. I wait until the spears seem to be declining in diameter then let them go to ferns. We do add a layer of compost in the fall to help the bed remain strong.
Love that asparagus too we have a bed here and have had all we want to eat and some for the freezer, try to have it when kids come they all seem to enjoy it, been pulling radishes, got German Giant seed this time, they are delicious big, red, and not hot or pithy! Picked first of the lettuce today. we have been having plenty rain, garden too wet to till but did pull weeds from the onion rows this morning. Would love to see your garden, I can’t imagine how much produce you get from it!
Here in the Thumb of Michigan, we have had a beautiful spring. So nice to enjoy apple blossoms and see the hummingbirds return. Orioles, Blue Jays and Grosebeaks galore.
Just planted my raised garden today. Hopefully no more frosty nights.
Saving my seeds that you sent Jackie, for next year. Able to get very nice cukes, greenbeans and tomatos this year. Our Home Church is finally opening on May 31st. We live on 10 acres and have it easier than most. Able to work and walk in fresh Quiet. Michigan is still on basic lockdown. Praying Lords Grace amd Blessings on everyone.
Lucky you Jackie! I love asparagus and my mom use to take us to pick wild every spring when I was a child over 65 years ago! It’s chilly here after a very warm April on Vancouver Island. I won’t complain because once the hot weather comes we all worry about wild fires here in B.C. Canada. Hard on the tomato plants but I’m very excited because after years of looking I finally got a nice little greenhouse. Great for tomatoes and winter greens and of course bedding plants! So happy you found your favourite apple tree so close to home. Now to keep the critters away!
I used to love hunting for wild asparagus everywhere from Michigan where I was born to Montana and New Mexico. It was like an Easter egg hunt! If the voles eat fruit tree bark this winter, they’ll need step ladders!
I bought Ball jar lids yesterday. The box said, ” Guaranteed for 18 months. ” I laughed and thought ,18 years. Does that mean they are less reliable than they used to be for longer-term storage?
Nancie, a friend of mine called the company and they told her nothing has changed with the lid it’s put on there for liability reasons.
Nah, they just want to stampede you into throwing away your 18 month old food and canning up fresh. With their lids, of course. It’s just a marketing ploy like the freshness date stamped on cans.
A few years ago I saw a woman’s magazine that said “Don’t keep canned food more than 2 years old.” I thought why go to all the trouble to can if you were going to pitch out! How foolish!
Hey Jackie! Asparagus is so good. I have a thick forest of oak, pine, & dogwood to cut first. Then I want to plant some asparagus too. When y’all getrain or snow, we have dry spells. Then we get rain, yall have dry spells. Praying you get enough. Stay safe!
That’s a good sized window for a bathroom! Should make it bright and airy in there. After the first asparagus spears were frozen with the late frost we had in Central MN, I am now getting some fresh ones coming up. Looking forward to some Roasted Asparagus soup. Yum!
David is putting in two windows in the huge bathroom. But when you live a mile into the woods, with nothing but woods surrounding your cabin, you don’t even need curtains or drapes! Gotta love that asparagus!
I cut 5 asparagus spears yesterday and am looking at 11 today! I struggle to grow many things, but asparagus isn’t one of them! (In my arid clay soil with highly saline water. I do have lots of animal ‘poop’ for it!) We are dry here too with 5 days of 30+ mph wind. Good luck and may we who need it all get some ‘nice’ rain…
We picked wild asparagus in New Mexico where the soil was caliche (clay/sand) like you make adobe bricks out of, and the water was alkaline. But the asparagus ran rampant in the neighbor’s pasture. Lucky for us they didn’t like it!
It has been cold here in western Illinois also. I am still wearing a heavy sweat shirt and some times a fleece over it. And so much rain I can not get into the garden to finish planting. Need to move my cattle panels to till so I can plant pole beans, green and yellow. Also my peas. I also have blanket and comforter on our bed. COLD!!!
Wow, we’ve been having temps in the eighties! A T shirt is too hot. I wish it would cool down some. But we did get a nice rain. Yea!!!
Wish I could pipe up some of our rain to you! Here in NC, we’ve had over 6 inches in 4 days, and chilly. Flooding all around. Usually in the 80s, we had 2 frosts in may, and highs in 60s. Wierd weather patterns this spring for sure. I think that solar minimum thing is starting. However, taters are blooming, one green tomato on the vine, and asparagus for a month now.David’s cabin looks great.
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