FEATURE FRIDAY: HARVESTING ASPARAGUS WITH EMMA TEMBREULL
I’m Emma Tembreull, a full-time creative entrepreneur and the face behind the lens of -et images. I have been photographing weddings for the past 10 years and also specialize in lifestyle and senior photography. Native to Michigan, I was raised in L'Anse and currently reside in the quirky community of Keweenaw Bay with my little family on an old apple orchard. My family raised me to be in the woods and fostered a love for foraging for wild foods.
Community is absolutely important to me. I lead the Marquette chapter of the Rising Tide Society's TuesdaysTogether. If you're a creative entrepreneur and NOT familiar with the Rising Tide Society, you must absolutely check them out! Community over competition, always. Their mission aligns well with Harbor + Pine too!
As spring turns into summer, my family is still foraging for asparagus. Sure, it makes your pee smell funny due to the metabolic properties of an amino acid in the veggie, but asparagus works wonders for the body! This stalk provides you with vitamins A, C, E, and K, dietary fiber, folate, and other trace minerals that essentially help glucose transport in the body. Moreover, this veggie helps cleanse your kidneys and remove excess salts.
While all of these are amazing benefits, I personally get excited over the naturally occurring folate. I'm no doctor, but from my collegiate studies in human nutrition and biology, it's clear to say that folate assists in cognitive function, and is essential for women planning to get pregnant as it serves a vital role in fetal neural development. You may be thinking you can easily get your daily folate dosage in a supplemental vitamins, but the truth is that supplements typically contain folic acid instead. While it functions similarly, your body has a much easier time utilizing folate derived directly from whole foods due to the way it interacts with B vitamins.
Asparagus plants are perennial, meaning they come back year after year once planted and successfully established (this can take a few years if you’re starting from scratch). While we are fortunate to have some wild asparagus growing throughout our property, it appears that the previous owners have planted asparagus around the trunks of our apple trees years ago. Growing your asparagus around fruit trees is wise, as asparagus is usually harvestable before tree leaves have emerged. This means there is no competition for light for the asparagus. Our trees are just past peak blossoming time and we're still getting a good yield.
When harvesting, I use a smaller pair of Fiskar pruners, although you can easily snap the stalk with your hand. Pick stalks that are between 6-10 inches in height from the ground. As asparagus grow taller and thicker, their stalks become woody and lose their tenderness. It's definitely better to pick asparagus prematurely than let them grow for too long.
A sign that your asparagus has grown for too long to harvest is when you can visibly see the spears opening up to flower and begin to branch. We intentionally let some of our younger, less hardy plants continue to grow to nurture a stronger root system for the asparagus to come back stronger in years to come. I find it important to note that we're not afraid to mow over some of our asparagus patches too though; they tend to regenerate very well once disturbed and any weeds around them are also cut back.
After picking, we soak our spears in a bowl of cold tap water to draw out any beetles or slugs that may be feasting on them. Typically you can see visible damage or the bugs themselves if there are any present . Our favorite way to enjoy them is via oven roasting with light seasoning and olive oil.
FORAGING TIP: Flowering stalks almost resemble a dill plant in their wispy fullness. Their woody plant eventually turns from it’s vibrant green to a pale natural tan color. We were able to find much of our own wild asparagus from the woody remains still standing from previous years.
Isn’t that amazing?! We never even knew what foraging for wild asparagus was before Emma told us about it & now we all know how to find it!
Make sure to follow Emma for even more inspiration! She is talented, full of so much knowledge, and just a joy to be around!!
Instagram: @etphotolove | Website: www.etphotolove.com