We just like it looking nicer on the plate.â. The raft of white asparagusâstraight and meticulously alignedâshares the plate with waxy, yellow new potatoes and a crumpled heap of wafer-thin, dark pink Westphalian ham (a regional delicacy made from acorn-fed, forest-dwelling pigs; their meat is dry-cured and cold-smoked over beechwood). The annual asparagus harvest is a source of great local pride, and I find only one vendor indifferent to it: âI grew up with two white asparagus addicts for parents,â she says. âBack in the â50s we grew it ourselves, like most people, and we never went to market. I don’t have anything against asparagus in general. German 'white gold' asparagus sprouts early Asparagus season has been known to put Germany into a spin. He shakes his head. Even with modern equipment, an acre of asparagus may only produce 2 tons of the vegetable per year – a v… May traditionally marks the delightful peak of the German asparagus season. White asparagus, or Spargel, is in season for the next three months and the next three months ONLY, you see, and when short-seasonal produce is in season, the German-speaking lands of Europe are Santa Cruz circa 1982 and the produce is the Grateful Dead. Over the course of my three days here, I try white asparagus several ways. The white asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) or Spargel as it is called here is by all accounts one of the most anticipated and exciting culinary highlight of the year. Depending on the weather, the season for asparagus begins some time in April and lasts until St. John the Baptist’s feast day June 24, and for those weeks the country is gripped by ‘Asparagus Fever’. The younger evening crowd is open to a more creative menu, but we know what our regulars want.â I ask Lembeck if heâd put green asparagus on the menu. Polish farmhands sort and process white asparagus at Hof Grothues Potthoff. Münsterâs old town, almost completely destroyed in the Second World War, was rebuilt in its prewar style, and the buildings along the Prinzipalmarktâtall, pale, and narrow with acutely angled roofsâlook not unlike a row of white asparagus tips themselves. The two month white asparagus season that, depending on the weather, begins some time in April and lasts until just after Summer Solstice, on St. John the Baptist’s feast day June 24.For those weeks it is a country gripped by "Asparagus Fever". In fact, an entire asparagus-eating etiquette has been developed for spargelzeit, or asparagus season.The vegetable is so revered, villages hold asparagus festivals and even crown an asparagus queen.White asparagus The hype about the coveted white vegetable starts up again in Germany at the end of April. Apple and Grape harvests symbolize Autumn in Germany, and Spargelzeit, the two month white asparagus season, is an eagerly anticipated sign of spring. No other vegetable gets as much dedicated land as the “white gold.” A small asparagus production operation requires a minimum of 5 square acres of suitable soil for an asparagus crop. White asparagus season is celebrated with a passion in Germany, and I’ve come to... From budding sprout to sumptuous stew. Every April, he leaves his wife and job in PoznaÅ, Poland, to work 10 hours a day, six days a week, until the official end of the season on June 24, the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist. Adhering to the farmersâ rule: âwhen cherries are red, spargel is dead,â the season of harvesting and eating white asparagus (spargel) begins annually in mid-April and ends on June 24th, St. John day. Adhering to the farmers’ rule: “when cherries are red, spargel is dead,” the season of harvesting and eating white asparagus (spargel) begins annually in mid-April and ends on June 24th, St. John day. Not just any asparagus, but white asparagus, the ‘vegetable of kings’, ‘edible ivory’, or ‘white gold’. Spargelzeit, or white asparagus season, officially begins in April, and harvesting finishes punctually on 24 June, the Christian celebration of the nativity of John the Baptist. By the end of the season, on June 26, approximately 55,000 tons of the vegetable will have been harvested. Documentarily it is indicated that the roots of German asparagus were found somewhere around Stuttgart, where it has been raised since the 1500s. While the green asparagus grows year-round, the white asparagus season only lasts 8 weeks, from April 22 to June 25. But the idea that white asparagus are an improvement is strange. âOr they might order chicken stew. With the first tips surfacing across some states, the season looks to have arrived early. Just as apples are a sign of fall season, asparagus marks the beginning of spring. 2020 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Oddly (or fortunately) this German speciality is not nearly as well-known as other famous German exports like beer, schnitzel and sausages. To obtain the white, tender and somewhat sweet version of asparagus, farmers limit the plant’s light intake, burying it like a treasure under mounds of soil. All rights reserved. 3. The popular vegetable grows best in sandy soil and is culti… He plunges two thickly gloved fingers into the soil, pushes it away to expose a single cream-colored spear, then slides his asparagus cutter down alongside it, perfectly parallel, and breaks it away from its root. When grown under tunnels, growers can extend the harvest season. Calling all foodies: Germany's 'white gold' season is in full swing. Josef Horstmöller greets me at the end of the long, wooden bar, eyes twinkling, salt-and-pepper beard neatly groomed, and bow tie knotted meticulously beneath his chin. 2. The annual harvesting of Germany’s “king of vegetables” begins in April and finishes on the 24 June, … Heading out on the weekend into the countryside, often by bicycleâwith a spectacularly flat landscape, itâs obvious why Münster is Germanyâs cycling capitalâthey like to support local producers, and they want to know where their food comes from. Great recipe for How to Cook White Asparagus - German Recipe. TO produce white asparagus, soil is piled up into knee-high banks, which give the fields their characteristic appearance. By Marta May 8, 2018 When you want to know which white asparagus dish is the most popular in white asparagus season in Germany, that is the one: White Asparagus with Boiled Potatoes, Ham and Sauce Hollandaise. I wonder if their appearance is a reflection of quality. It requires precision planting and constant monitoring of the soil thatâs heaped over the spears to prevent them being exposed to sunlight: if itâs too hot, too cold, too wet, dry or hard, the growth of the spears is affected. One is filled with a bright yellow hollandaise so thick it wobbles, the other with a pool of glossy melted butter. Germany’s white asparagus is grown entirely covered in soil that protects the slender stalks from sunlight and prevents them from turning green Asparagus is harvested using a special knife. In Germany, white asparagus (weißer spargel) is celebrated (literally) with festivals from April to June. With the hand on heart, Germans cannot live without asparagus (or spargel in German)! She replicated her mother’s traditional recipe for boiled white asparagus accompanied with ham, parsley and boiled potatoes. Germans (and many Swiss and Austrian neighbors) are a jubilant bunch of eaters especially with the arrival of spargel—as the German’s call it—the ghostly-white stalk that heralds “spring is here!” It’s the first crop of the year to grace the dinner table, and after a long, gray winter this harbinger of summer elicits deep … https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/europe/germany/munsterland-white-asparagus-food.html. In ancient times, asparagus has been cherished for its delicate flavor and originally cultivated by ancient … White asparagus is sold in the marketplace in front of St. Paulâs Cathedral in Münster. Welcome the springtime with the first German spring vegetable. In 2017, many thousands of workers — mainly from Romania and Poland — cut some 129,600 tons of white asparagus in Germany during the short season. White asparagus is no different than regular asparagus, expect that it is grown underground in little mounds. The cityâs weekly market, a maze of trucks and stands shaded by colorful awnings, takes place in a large, leafy square by the cathedral. And like Elmar Grothues, Horstmöller fosters strong local relationships; heâs been buying his asparagus from the same farm for more than 20 years. Calling all foodies: Germany's 'white gold' season is in full swing The precise art of growing asparagus. It is white asparagus season here at Eckert’s in Belleville and across the globe, in Germany. Spargelsaison in Germany begins in April and ends abruptly on June 24 (Midsummer Day). Brandt puts down two stainless steel sauce boats next to my plate. I ask why she likes white asparagus, and she gives the same answer I keep receiving: âItâs around for such a very short time and has such a fine taste, plus itâs full of vitamins, so itâs really very healthy.â I drown my spears in butter. It takes three years for an asparagus plant to produce its first tip. Hof Grothues-Potthoff: This quiet boutique hotel offers stylish, comfortable rooms, a small sauna, and friendly staff. âNot at all,â Grothues admits, rather sheepishly, âIt all tastes the same. The Netherlands, Spain, France, Switzerland and especially Germany are all big White Asparagus consumers. Itâs a short walk from the marketplace to Altes Gasthaus Leve, a traditional German restaurant thatâs been in the same family for three generations. Altes Gasthaus Leve: Among the local favorites at this traditional German restaurant is a delicately flavored, silky cream-of-white-asparagus soup. H4 Hotel Münster: This chain business hotel has bright modern rooms and is centrally located. Certain regions of Germanany have very sandy soils that are particularly suited to the growing process and in these areas White Asparagus or Spargel is big business. With a backdrop of wood-paneled walls and hand-painted tiles; a tall, flickering candle; and a glass of honey-colored Mosel Riesling, my lunch could be a Dutch Golden Age painting. May to June is Germany's white asparagus season! I tried to find out how to cook them so I can enjoy plenty of them when I am in Germany. In the UK, it is estimated that the asparagus harvest season can begin as early as mid-February and continue into late autumn by growing cold-resistant cultivars under heated polytunnels. What makes a German’s heart sing with joy? White asparagus season is celebrated with a passion in Germany, and Iâve come to the flat, castle-filled region of Münsterland, with its maritime climate and sandy soil prime for the spring vegetableâs production, to find out why. If you think that spargel isn't worth a trip to Lower Saxony or, for example, the highly-mentioned Baden-Wurttemberg (two most famous asparagus growing regions), millions of Germans will strongly disagree with you. With a total value of 175 million euros, the slender stalks have become Germany’s most important cultivated product over the years. If you’ve never had white asparagus, it is exactly like green asparagus but without chlorophyll (the green in plants that helps generate oxygen in the photosynthesis process). Typically, the spears are cut off slightly below the earth’s surface to avoid damaging underground roots. The terraced restaurant serves an excellent breakfast as well as the farmâs own white asparagus in season. I eat it grilled, served with poached quailsâ eggs and dots of bright green moss mayonnaise. When it's asparagus season in Germany, you can find it for sale in every market and roadside stands. Whereas green asparagus is available in the US year-round, (white) asparagus in Germany is very seasonal. Pulling a bundle of roots from the soilâa cluster of earthy ratsâ tails attached to a feathery green shootâhe explains the labor-intensive white-asparagus-growing process. The annual production for white asparagus in Germany is 57,000 tonnes (61% of consumer demand). In the evening, theyâll have bread and soup. I looked at a German website like COOKPAD and German cookbooks. Iâm scouring the flat upper surface of the knee-high, gray-brown mound of soil for the tiny undulations that might indicate a spear of white asparagus trying to break through. I actually really like the first tender green asparagus of the season boiled and buttered. Peelings are used to make a delicate, creamy soup; broken spears are added to stews. It’s a short walk from the … As is the case at Hof Grothues-Potthoff, nothing here goes to waste. It contains Vitamins A, E, K, as well as calcium, potassium, iron, and includes mostly water, 2% protein, 4% carbohydrates and only 0.2% fats. But itâs the potatoes and ham that I keep thinking about: itâs an old-fashioned dish, yet it doesnât feel outdated. Hof Grothues-Potthoff serves white asparagus with quail eggs. Hafenkäserei: Down by Münsterâs harbor, this organic dairy produces creatively flavoured Gouda and red smear cheeses using four-generation-old processes. Isnât it lucky, I think, that it tastes so good. During Spargelzeit—’asparagus time’, which starts sometime in April but ends exactly on June 24th—Germans eat their way through 125,000 tonnes (138,000 tons) of the stuff, half of which is bought at roadside stands or in markets. Depending on the weather, the season for asparagus begins some time in April and lasts until St. John the Baptist’s feast day June 24, and during this … Ornate buildings in Münster town center feature white asparagus to represent the harvest. Tie white asparagus in bundles of about 6 spears each. Over 2,200 German asparagus farmers grow almost exclusively white asparagus on 53,000 acres. Itâs all over in less than 30 seconds, and Iâm left trying to work out how he knew anything was there. Elmar Grothues, who with his siblings oversees a 14-generation-old family farm, takes me to a newly planted field. Asparagus is a highly prized vegetable in Germany. I love white asparagus season here in Germany. We arrive at the farmyard just as Dominikowski and his co-workers are hoisting crates containing the morningâs harvest off their truck and into a barn. Autumn in Germany is Apple and Grape harvests; Spring first Barlauch, wild garlic, then it is the eagerly anticipated "Spargelzeit". Every good restaurant always sells a few white asparagus dishes. Many of Münsterâs main sights are easily reachable by foot. Standing next to me, Lukasz Dominikowski, armed with his asparagus cutter (a long, flat tool with a sharp, forked blade), has detected a ripple. Seasonal farms: Both Hof Lütke Laxen and Spargelhof Hengemann are open to serve meals during harvest season. In ancient times, asparagus has been cherished for its delicate flavor and originally cultivated by ancient Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians. The day before, in the lively student city of Münster, Iâd seen signs of the cityâs culinary history everywhere, from plaques among the cobblestones marking the old salt trading route, to white asparagus carved into the stone facade of a private mansion. The fresh produce stands are currently dominated by baskets of jewel-red strawberries and stacks of bright white asparagus. Along with cream blob and fresh chives, it’s one of the most popular dishes in the white asparagus season. Therefore, no photosynthesis occurs, keeping the stalks from turning green. The white asparagus of bands. The crates are filled with cold water to keep the asparagus at peak freshness. Thereâs the soup, garnished with chives. Image: public domain. During the high season, he tells me, his restaurant serves up to 220 pounds of white asparagus a week. The shiny steel sorting machine is a veritable homage to the German love of systems and procedure; each spear is sliced to a uniform length before being computer-analyzed, classed, and spat out into one of 20 water troughs for manual collection and storage. White asparagus, Iâve learned, represents whatâs important to many people in Münsterlandâa deep pride in their regional produce and respect for hard work, a love of quality ingredients prepared simply and without waste, and an appreciation for tradition. Some of Horstmöllerâs customers have been eating at Leve for more than 50 years, and he and head chef Frank Lembeck, whoâs emerged from the kitchen in his chefâs whites, know them well. âOut of habit, their main meal is lunch, perhaps white asparagus served the classic way, with ham and potatoes,â Lembeck explains. It looks like backbreaking work, but Dominikowski thoroughly enjoys it. This also affects the subtle flavor of it. The event also triggers the obligatory annual Spargel media frenzy. Green and purple asparagus is available, but most only buy the white, claiming that it's the most flavorful. Lukas, a Polish farmhand, harvests white asparagus at Hof Grothues Potthoff. Bring water to a rolling boil in a large pot, season with fresh lemon, table salt and white sugar (to taste). Iâve eaten my fill, and it doesnât interest me anymore.â. I sit down at a small wooden table, where waitress and student Paulina Brandt, dressed in a traditional black and white uniform, brings my plate of white asparagus with a smile. It really does come in all shapes and sizes as shown below. Traditional German Creamy White Asparagus Soup makes a perfect starter for any meal! âItâs satisfying, and the moneyâs much better than repairing computers back home,â he says. In Germany, Spargel is the term for asparagus, but it really is more commonly used to refer to the white variation which is so popular here. 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