Ten days earlier

Spring on your plate: the asparagus season starts

Josef Matschnig on the asparagus field in Ebenthal.

(Bild: Evelyn HronekKamerawerk)

The mild weather of the past few days has allowed asparagus to sprout in Carinthia: In Lavanttal and Ebenthal, sales of the healthy spears are starting.

April is traditionally asparagus season in Carinthia - the harvest of the healthy vegetable is determined by the temperature. "We were able to start harvesting these days. As the season has only just begun, we are selling while stocks last," explains Waltdraud Jäger from Kammerhof in St. Andrä im Lavanttal. White and green asparagus are available.

Danger from late frost
However, the early start to the season was not to be expected: "The fields were very wet and it was impossible to drive on them with a tractor without getting stuck. That's why we couldn't drive on them until later," says Jäger, who hopes that the weather will continue to cooperate in the coming weeks. Frost can damage the cold-sensitive asparagus.

The white asparagus is harvested as soon as the tips emerge from the ground.

(Bild: Jürgen Radspieler)

"Asparagus from Italy is already available on the market. People often forget that we don't have the same weather conditions in Carinthia," reports Josef Matschnig from Kärntner Früchtewelt.

Great demand
Green asparagus will be available to buy here again from Friday (9 am to 6 pm). Matschnig: "Compared to last year, we are about ten days earlier with the harvest this year." Demand for the healthy spears is already very high among customers, as Matschnig reveals. "The warm weather doesn't just allow the asparagus to thrive. It also awakens the Carinthians' appetite for the fresh vegetable."

Asparagus with hollandaise sauce, potatoes and ham is popular

(Bild: karepa - stock.adobe.com)

Green asparagus is also often grown in the home garden. The young plants are planted between March and April. They are then harvested the following year.

"It's so green"
Hobby gardeners can exchange green ideas in the Facebook group "It's so green". In addition to experiences, numerous photos from their own gardens are shared here.