Hunting and Foraging Wild Asparagus – Ultimate Guide

Wild Asparagus is a delicious spring find! This guide will assist you in finding, selecting, and preparing it for the most delectable treat!

In the early spring, I can still picture my mother going out in search of wild asparagus.

Usually, she would search along rural roads that had irrigation running alongside them.

Anytime we could find the delicate, sweet stalks, it was a treat.

Wild asparagus hunting is enjoyable, and the reward of eating it is worthwhile.

This Ultimate Guide will answer all questions about Finding and harvesting wild asparagus, plus instructions on how to prepare it.

What is Wild Asparagus?

Wild asparagus is asparagus that grows on its own in the wild.

It grows every year, and the young shoots are used as a spring vegetable.

The creeping, evergreen plant known as wild asparagus reaches a height of about one meter.

How to Find Asparagus

Make sure to plan far in advance.

Looking for asparagus in the fall is the real key to finding it. The asparagus will truly start to show itself to the universe when the air becomes crisp and the leaves begin to change color. At the farm store, you’ll notice the distinctive feathery yellow plants protruding like a city boy. And once you are aware of the locations of the plants, you will know precisely where to look for the spears in the spring.

And in fact, they are also simple to spot in the height of summer. When the plant “goes to seed,” the asparagus sends up a bushy, green, ferny stalk about 2-4ft. There are frequently a few in a group, and they are simple to find (assuming you are looking).

There is still plenty of hope, even if you weren’t able to scout a location before spring.

Know When to Look

I use a few different criteria when evaluating timing in Wisconsin. On the way to our preferred (secret!) location, we essentially always come across asparagus.) fishing hole. It’s asparagus season when the weekend of the fishing opener arrives.

The lilacs are another trustworthy indicator. I know I’ll find asparagus as soon as the lilacs begin to open their buds.

You can probably find a great forum or Facebook group on finding wild edibles in your region if you’re unsure of when to start foraging for asparagus (or other wild edibles) there. When the first goodies start to appear, the members of those groups will post about them. If you are a beginner, this is a huge help.

Know Where and How to Look

Asparagus adores light. Really, neither the woods nor any other area that receives midday sunshade will have it. On the edges of agricultural fields and in road ditches are where we typically find it. Your search area is greatly reduced as a result.

Instead of looking for the green spears of asparagus themselves, I look for two other things:

1. Last year’s dead stalks are lying on the ground. On occasion, they can be nearly as thick as corn stalks. Their beige color makes them easier to spot than actual asparagus spears against a background of green weeds and green everything. This is something you should train your brain to recognize if you are stumbling through a field or road ditch. And when you’re tromping through the weeds, don’t forget to protect yourself from ticks and Lyme disease.

2. In our region, asparagus grows over a few weeks, with the stalks sprouting and emerging at various times and at varying rates. This works very well for us. Often, one or two (typically thinner) overexcited spears will emerge first and go to seed before many of the nearby stalks even start to grow. These are much easier to see, so this is a fantastic giveaway! In fact, I can frequently identify these while driving.

When you find one plant, keep searching because there are probably more to be found. Numerous plants can frequently be found in an area of 10 to 20 feet, and occasionally even a few stray ones farther out.

How to Harvest WILD ASPARAGUS

The best tool for the job is a knife, and you ought to attempt to cut it as near to the ground as you can. If you don’t have a knife on you, simply snapping the stalk off will do.

I pay close attention to the dead stalks’ connections to the ground after I’ve harvested one stalk. Unless I specifically look at the dead plant from last year, I have trouble spotting the spears on their own among the grass and weeds. There are frequently multiple spears growing where the old, dead growth was.

Thinking about leaving some stalks and taking some?
This isn’t really a straightforward response.

The plant will live through the following year if you leave some of the stalks behind so they can develop and produce energy for the roots through photosynthesis.

I don’t leave any stalks behind unless it is early in the growing season. There will undoubtedly be many more that I will miss as they develop over time.

I will leave the tallest stalk, which is just beginning to sprout buds, for the plant and harvest the rest. They also get slightly more fibrous as they grow tall and start to bud out. You should leave this asparagus stalk as a sacrifice.

I’ll harvest the remaining spears throughout the season, but if there are already a few spears that have turned into fern, that’s great. The plant gets to keep those.

I will take all the spears if the wild asparagus patch is very far away, in a place I don’t think anyone else will go, and if I don’t intend to return. The plant will continue to send up a lot of new stems, giving them time to develop.

What about the little shorties, though?!
I always come across a short spear (2″-6″) that needs a few more days to develop fully. Both taking it young and leaving it are regrettable decisions.

I refer to this as an asparagus conundrum.

Usually, I will leave the spear here if I can return to this patch within two days. I believe it is worthwhile to harvest if I know I won’t be returning to the patch and the spear is over 4 Prime. It’s preferable to have some asparagus than none at all.

What about the gigantic, tall asparagus?
I’ll take that too! The top half of the “spear” is still tender and quite edible. As long as it is not a “fern” and it is just a tall asparagus with little shoots coming off of it and buds forming, we think they are just great. (These are the ones I mentioned leaving for the plant, but if they are all like this, take some for sure).

Plan a Return Trip

When you locate an asparagus patch, you’re in luck! Add it to your list!

Asparagus can grow incredibly quickly, so in addition to visiting this patch daily throughout the growing season to gather the new spears that have sprouted, you should also make plans to return in the future.

There are four GIANT, gorgeous asparagus stalks that grow annually on my parents’ property. My father also recalls harvesting them when he was a young boy. A 50-year-old asparagus plant, at the very least!

What NOT to Do When Hunting Asparagus

Dress inappropriately
Tick season coincides with asparagus season. Put your socks inside of those pants!

Forget a collection vessel
Use a plastic grocery bag if you can.

Trespass
Great, the side of the road. Field of a farmer, not so much. Of course, unless you have permission.

Discriminate
Both thick and thin asparagus are equally tender. They are not necessarily going to be tough just because they are bigger. The thicker spears might even be my favorite! The genetic makeup and age of the plant determine the spear’s diameter. Taller equals tougher because toughness is determined by the age of the spear during that season.

Give up
The first time you go out, or even the second, you might not find any asparagus. Remain persistent; you will eventually find some. Consider it an investment of your time because, once you find a patch, you can harvest from it for the rest of your life.

Does Wild Asparagus Taste Different?

We found some exceptional wild asparagus, which was very different from any store-bought asparagus I’ve ever eaten.

It had an extremely dense flavor and was sweet. I relished each stalk, feeling so fortunate.

Cooking It

Asparagus from the wild can be prepared in the same ways as asparagus from a grocery store.

Grilling asparagus is one of my favorite ways to prepare it.

I prefer to taste the asparagus alone rather than a sauce, especially with something this special.

The discovery of this amazing wild food is being simply celebrated.

Of course, you could also do this with the asparagus that you bought.

Here’s how to make Grilled Asparagus.

Is It Safe to Eat Wild Asparagus?

Wild asparagus itself is safe to eat. The location of its discovery would be the only area that could be questioned.

For example, The area should be avoided if it is close to a water source that is not known to be clean or a roadside that may have been sprayed with weed killer.

As with any type of foraging, know the area where you are gathering food.

By snapping off the bottoms at their natural breaking or bending point, wild asparagus can be prepared in the same way as asparagus purchased in a store.

It can be prepared in the same ways as well.

Asparagus tastes best when the spears are about the size of your finger and the tips are tightly closed.

Although it won’t taste as good, food is still safe to eat when the tops start to open or go to seed (see examples in the photos).

Read more: How Long to Dehydrate Beef Jerky? How to Make?

Storing It

Any kind of asparagus, whether foraged or purchased from a store, should be kept in the fridge.

There are two ways to store it:

Paper Towel method: store upright, with a damp paper towel wrapped around the stalk ends.

The stalks work best when placed in a glass or jar with a paper towel. Cover them with a plastic bag.

Jar with water: trim the ends of the stalks. Put them in a container with a few inches of water. Cover with a plastic bag. The asparagus can be preserved using this method for more than a week. For a comparison of purchased versus wild, see below.

Store-bought: It’s best to enjoy them right away; the general advice is to do so within four days of store purchase.

Wild: I advise cooking asparagus that has just been picked the same day that it is picked.

You can also blanch and freeze asparagus.

Can I Transplant Wild Asparagus?

If you’ve found some wild asparagus and want to grow it in your own garden, then yes. You can move asparagus.

• Around the plant, dig extensively. The root system of asparagus is extensive and intricate. It has extensive underground roots that resemble a complex web of tentacles. The majority of it needs to be preserved for the plant to consume.
• Dig a deep hole at the new site. You’ll have to accommodate the entire root system.
• Layer some compost and fertilizer in the hole. Spread a lot of food at the bottom of the hole because asparagus is a hungry plant.
• the plant into the hole with care.
• Create a substantial soil mound to surround the plant.

Conclusion: Hunting and FORAGING WILD ASPARAGUS

Wild asparagus can be found all year long, but the harvesting season only lasts until the beginning of spring. When the plant grows to a size that makes it impossible to harvest, it is much simpler to detect out-of-season. Once the young tips are tender the following spring, mark those locations so you’ll know exactly where to look.

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