There are already asparagus for sale, but the very first of the open ground grown without growth aids have been harvested in Oirschot. The first kilos were taken from the asparagus beds last Wednesday.
The Brabants Asperge Genootschap (Brabant Asparagus Society) announced this on Sunday.
“It is important that more than one asparagus is harvested,” says spokesman Wil van Bruchem. “The season must have really started for the asparagus farmer.”
Oirschot is the first
The winning asparagus farmer is Willem van Gerven who runs a company in Oirschot together with his father Jan. Willem: “We harvested the first thirty kilos on Wednesday. A day later it was already forty kilos and this is increasing until we put six thousand kilos daily.”
The Brabant Asparagus Society has already been offered several asparagus that went for the title ‘first asparagus’. Wil: “But it turned out to be heated asparagus beds or just a few asparagus. So that asparagus does not meet our rules for the designation ‘first asparagus from the ground’.”
Fast grower
Asparagus farmer Willem has already won prizes. “We were also the first in 2014. It helps that we use the asparagus variety Cumulus that grows early. Furthermore, our beds are reasonably sheltered from the wind. It cools the ground quickly and has blown a lot lately.” Now that the sun will shine more next week, Willem expects that the asparagus can no longer be kept.
Last year, the first asparagus were harvested a week earlier. “The enormous amount of rain did not help,” says Van Buchem. “Water retains cold. We had a very warm winter and if it had ended dry, we might have seen the first asparagus at the end of February. That would be a record.”
Between 2 and 10 euros
Willem sold his first asparagus on Saturday. “The price always depends on the market,” he explains. “But I have asparagus for every fair. The highest quality costs ten euros per kilo and the cheapest go out at two euros per kilo.”
Source: Omroep Brabant
Translator: Dirk
