In Season

Burge Organic Farm in Mansfield has an asparagus patch about 200 feet long and six rows wide. “From the looks of it, I think it’s ‘Jersey Knight,’ a variety that’s mostly green with a purple tip,” said Josh Plymale, the farm’s manager.

Asparagus is one of the perennial vegetables. Plant it, weed it and in about three years’ time, the plants will start offering a harvestable crop and keep on doing so as long as the crop is kept tended. Plymale estimates the Burge patch to be about five years old.

“For most of the year, there’s not a lot of maintenance. We keep it weeded and after the first frost, we go in and cut down all the dead growth. We also give the patch plenty of compost. It’s when spring comes that growing asparagus is a real challenge. It’s like a baby because it requires quite a bit of attention,” he said.

When the spears begin to emerge, they can grow really quickly. Farm hands have to harvest spears sometimes twice a day, and weed constantly to keep the competition down. “You’ll harvest in the morning, cutting the spears when they’re six to eight inches long, and when you come back in the afternoon, a whole new crop will be ready. During the five weeks of harvest, you’ll have invested quite a bit of time in your asparagus patch.”

Burge Organic Farm sells its produce at the year-round Saturday morning Morningside Farmers Market. They’ll also be selling at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market when it opens for the season this Saturday. They also sell to restaurants and have a communitysupported agriculture program with pick-ups on the farm, in Covington and in Atlanta.

When Plymale gets to eat his asparagus, he keeps it simple. “I like to cook it with butter, salt and pepper, maybe some garlic. Maybe add some shaved Parmesan or lemon. That’s about as fancy as I get.”

His customers may also keep it simple, or they may have more extravagant plans in mind. One thing is certain, they are excited when the first asparagus comes to market. “Asparagus and strawberries are the gun that starts off the race of the whole season. I can remember the first day we had asparagus last season at Morningside. Our entire harvest was gone in 25 minutes.”