First heated asparagus from Northern Baden now available
In Northern Baden, the first asparagus has already been harvested: On March 2nd, around 30 kilograms were harvested at Forlenhof by Steffen Großhans. This was made possible by the 250 dairy cows on Forlenhof, or rather their excretions. These excretions power a biogas plant that produces electricity and heat by fermenting biomass. At the peak of the asparagus season, the quantity will rise to an average of about 150 kilograms. Then, the current price of 25 EUR per kilogram will drop slightly, according to the forecast.
NRW: 20 euros for a kilogram of asparagus?
“Three hours of sunshine per day would be enough, then maybe we’ll have asparagus by Easter!”, says Johannes Miermann in an interview with Tagesschau. At least there will be asparagus later in the year. However, possibly less, which would make the asparagus more expensive: “So, we’re getting close to the 20-euro mark per kilo,” says Justus Beckmann. “But the price will go down over the season.” At Wesel asparagus producer Peter Heinen’s fields, work has not been possible so far. “And that’s probably going to take a few more weeks,” he says in an interview with NRZ.
Also, Ludwig Hengemann is a bit gloomy about the situation for lovers of the white gold: “I highly doubt we can harvest asparagus in commercial quantities by Easter. We might get a handful of spears out, but not much more.” The 30-year-old farmer operates an asparagus farm in Everswinkel in the district of Warendorf (NRW). He primarily cultivates white, but also green asparagus on eight hectares of land.
Lower Saxony: Optimism despite wet conditions
Asparagus growers in Lower Saxony are hoping for dry weather for the upcoming harvest season. If it stays dry over the next few days, some farms may be able to offer their first homegrown asparagus by Easter, said Fred Eickhorst from the Association of Asparagus and Berry Growers based in Sandhatten near Oldenburg. However, he remains optimistic that at least some farms will be able to offer the first regional asparagus by Easter.
Eastern Germany: Moisture could lead to smaller spears
Floods and a lot of rain: Saxony’s asparagus farmers are also looking beneath their covers with concern this year. The roots of the noble vegetable are often still wet, and can even rot. MDR visited three asparagus farms in the Altmark, at Nieschütz (LK Meißen), and in Leipzig. In addition, they address the increasing image problem of the noble vegetable: Younger customers have become rare. Consumption and consequently the cultivation area have been declining for some time.