Sadly, you won’t be getting California Delta asparagus anymore.
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What happened? Was it wrecked by the fires?
I guess I’ll have to wait for Ontario asparagus.
Yep, except for one misleading item: there’s been very little “urban sprawl” into former asparagus fields. Other crops have taken over in many of them, including hops, blueberries, and at least in the field nearest me (about half a mile away), an orchard that I believe to be cherry trees. Asparagus is just not profitable due to high labor costs locally and cheap labor abroad.
I don’t think Zuckerman has ANY asparagus planted this year. A lessee on some Zuckerman property had about 10 acres they were harvesting last year as a trial run, I think to see if they could make a go of it, but the packing shed has been converted to a distillery (this is on Highway 4 east of Stockton and north of Tracy).
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Nope. Wrecked by NAFTA. Ironically, there may still be fires burning in some former asparagus fields, fires that started decades ago. The Delta is full of peat, and when peat burns, it can smolder underground for a very long time. They may have all gone out by now, but I remember a time when every few years, a fire would pop up seemingly out of nowhere. It’s nearly impossible to extinguish a peat fire.
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Awesome!
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Well, I only buy Californian,Michigan, Quebec and Ontario asparagus, so I was trying and continue to try my best to help the Californian farmer. Most of our produce in the winter still comes from Andy Boy in Salinas. Our family friends still work there. 2 Generations of them.
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I highly recommend Washington asparagus. It is my favorite.
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I have not seen it in Canada, but if I do, I’ll buy it!
I am open to asparagus from other States and Provinces.
The asparagus that’s imported from Mexico and Peru doesn’t taste very good in my limited experience.
I love German asparagus and Wye Valley asparagus, but I’ve never seen either of those imported to Canada. I have occasionally seem white asparagus imported from Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands, I think.
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Check, check, and check.
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Pretty sure this is kale growing on the front lawn of my apartment building. Pretty sure I am to blame for this.
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My Nappa cabbage is finally ready to pick also. I’m thinking of making a homemade Kimchi. Has anyone tried it before? Kimchi is so famous in South Korea, a quick Google search showed me that over 6 million tons are produced each year there. It’s considered one of their national dishes. Here’s a neat article I found about tourism in South Korea that mentions how popular kimchi is https://gowithguide.com/blog/tourism-in-south-korea-statistics-2023-all-you-need-to-know-5254. I’d love to try my hand at making some traditional Korean flavor. Let me know if anyone has a good recipe to share! 
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Several times. Maangchi’s got a mess of recipes. Start here:
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Yes, I posted a tried and true recipe I developed. Over the years, I’ve made hundreds of pounds of kimchi. I couldn’t find the HO post, so here is the recipe:
Kim Chi in quantities for a 3 gallon (11.4 liter) crock. Yield is about 1.25-1.5 gallons (4.7-5.7 l) of packed, final product (=2-3 of those big commercial Kim Chee jars). Quantities can be scaled down.
A: 8 pounds (3.63 kg) of Nappa Cabbage-remove 3-6 outer leaves to expose clean head and discard outermost leaves. Cut as many whole cabbage leaves as you need to cap/cover the container or crock inside. This “follower” keeps cut veggies under brine. Weigh these and add enough Nappa, cut into 1-2 inch (2.5-5 cm) squares to equal 8 pounds (3.63 kg)total.
1.5 pounds (680 g)of peeled Korean Radish (Green Top), cut into1-2 x 1/2 inch (2.5-5 x 1.25 cm) batons.
8.78 oz. (249 g) pickling salt dissolved into 1 1/2 gallons (5.7 l) water; this is the brine.
Mix vegetables in “A” and pack tightly into crock, topping with the whole Nappa leaves. Add weights on top of above follower and fill crock with brine. Vegetables should be submerged in the brine for 8-12 hours, i.e. overnight.
Scoop vegetables out of brine using a large spider, strainer, etc and put in a very large colander. Reserve about a gallon (3.8 l) of brine in a separate pot or bowl, in case it is needed later. Rinse out crock, pouring unneeded brine away. Rinse vegetables in “A” under fresh water briefly, mixing and turning. Taste samples; they should be a little salty, pleasantly. Transfer vegetables to a very large bowl or pot so items can be mixed in. Keep whole leaves = follower aside.
*= Items below can be omitted or adjusted to taste.
B: 7 Tablespoons (or to taste) fresh, peeled, finely chopped or shredded ginger.
6 large, green onions, chopped into short pieces. Garlic chives also work well.
1 Tablespoon Sugar
*14 Tablespoons Korean Pepper Flakes=Gochugaru; do not substitute Cayenne!
Gochugaru is much milder, less hot. It is spicy, so adjust or omit. *6-8 Tablespoon, to taste, Fish Sauce; I like Red Boat.
*1 bulb of peeled, minced or pressed garlic
- 8 TBS of Korean Pepper paste=Gochujang; Mother in Laws is a good brand, other types are often sold in red plastic tubs. Taste before adding to adjust quantities, or omit.
Mix Vegetables “A” with “B” items until thoroughly combined. I also add a little juice from prior batches of Kim Chee or commercial Kim Chee (about a Tablespoon) to speed up fermentation. Pack mixture tightly into crock, pressing down to omit air space and add follower leaves on top to cover surface. Add weights. If there is less than 3 inches (7.5 cm) liquid over top of the vegetables, add reserved brine to get this amount of liquid cover.
Seal crock to omit air and store 60-70 degrees F (15.5-21 C) for 2-3 days. Taste, if it’s not a little bubbly/fizzy, return to ferment 1-2 days. If it has fermented, transfer to large jars, leaving 2-3 inches (5-8 cm) headspace for expansion. Fasten lids so they can vent pressure, put jars in sealed bags, in fridge. Kim Chee will get more sour as it ages. Keep vegetables pushed down, under brine. It’s usually best after 5 plus days in the fridge.
This recipe does not need rice flour/paste, etc., which I’ve found unnecessary. It also doesn’t use half-cabbages, which are a pain to cut, eat later on. I used to trade kim chi with chefs at a local restaurant, for speck, fresh fish, etc. It’s important to ferment kim chi at cool temperatures.
Using weight is much better than volume for this. Salt can vary a LOT in weight per volume. Sea salt works well. Kosher salt is a bit pricey for this purpose, since much of the initial brine is discarded.
By the way, it looks like the “nappa” has some bok choy genes in it, judging by the size and shape of the petioles (leaf stems).
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Always a pleasure to hear from you @bogman !
I found some of your suggestions!
It starts with a thread inspired by the author in @small_h 's link.
(post deleted by author)
Thank you! Fermentations are so amazing, when they work properly. And, there are many ways to accomplish a set goal.
Perhaps it was last year, there was a discussion on Callaloo. While a bunch of different greens can be used to make it, I finally discovered the identity of the one used in Grenada and elsewhere in the tropics. Known also as “Tanier Spinach” and “Belembe”, it’s an Aroid related to Taro, Xanthosoma brasilense (syn. X. hastifolia). Unlike Taro, its leaves have very few irritating/stinging crystals of oxalates, making them easier (and safer) to prepare.
However, this plant is surprisingly difficult to find in the USA. I have a couple sources to try yet, but prior leads ended up in dead ends.
Belembe has a superior flavor and smoother texture than the Amaranth leaves sometimes used for Callaloo. I’ve made Callaloo with Amaranth, and it just wasn’t as good. I’m kicking myself for not trying to bring a Xanthosoma b. back from Grenada, back in the 90s. The quest goes on.
Due to a bad back (injury?), spring gardening will be greatly reduced. A great many projects are still going on, being perennials, bushes and trees. A major emergence of 17-year cicadas is forecast, which is a big problem as the females slice branches with a swordlike ovipositor to lay eggs. This can disfigure or even kill small fruit trees. With luck, I’ll put netting or Reemay/Agribon fabric over prized tree branches, plants I’m hoping to establish and/or graft in the future.
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