Like a little kid on Christmas, my anticipation is high for one of the best times of the year in Germany: Spargel Time! When spring is finally here with budding daffodils and blossoms on the trees it also means it is time to enjoy the seasonal white asparagus called spargel.
When I first moved to Germany I just didn’t understand how a vegetable could get so much attention and excitement. I would drive on the autobahn and also on small roads and see huge ‘Spargel’ signs with pointing arrows to these little wooden shacks. Then to add to my amazement of it all, there would also be a huge line of people at the shack waiting for this mysteriously popular vegetable! I just didn’t understand it. And sadly the only thing I could compare it to in the States was during my first trip to the south and I saw cars zipping into Krispy Kreme when the ‘Hot Donuts’ sign was suddenly lit along the highway.
While we are familiar to the green asparagus in the States, this is a white asparagus which is grown slightly different. The spargel is grown surrounded fully by dirt which prevents sun from hitting it and thus turning it white. You can see the spargel mounds sometimes on fields and the mounds are also covered with white cloth. Being covered like this during the growth, it gives the plant great flavor while being rich with nutrients. So it is healthy and delicious… a win/win!
Timely Crop
Spargel time is an actual range of dates when it is available and which leads to why it is in such high demand. The season starts in mid-April, depending on the weather and it ends on the 24th of June. You are not allowed to harvest spargel anymore after this date to preserve the crop for next year and the quality of the vegetable.
We live in Spargel Land
Baden-Württemberg and Lower Saxony is the epicenter of spargel awesomeness. They even have scenic “spargel routes’. The Baden route runs through Schwetzingen, Reilingen, Karlsruhe and Rastatt. The town Schwetzingen is proud to be the “Spargel Capital of the World”. Like many towns they have a big spargel fest on 11 June from 10 am to midnight! Here you of course can eat spargel all day, listen to live bands, drink, watch the spargel peeling contest (yes that is a real thing!) and also the main prestigious event of the crowning of the queen of the fest, Miss Spargel (yup, that is a real thing too).
History
This luxurious vegetable is not new the vegetable world. Spargel goes back to as early as 2000 BC and consumed by Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. The oldest documentation of how to grow spargel comes from Stuttgart dating back to the 16th century!
Buying Spargel
When you buy spargel the key is to buy it fresh and use it that day. Some advice on what to look for would be to make sure the stems are crisp, firm and have a nice smooth texture. They told me at the spargel stand that you should be able to rub to stalks together and hear a ‘squeak’, then you know they are fresh. If you aren’t going to eat them the same day you can still wrap them in a moist towel and put them in the fridge for the next day.
Not really a chef?
Okay if you are like me and would rather go to a restaurant for your spargel dish you will be pleasantly surprised with the amount of options. The basic dish would be with melted butter and potatoes. Also you must try it with a side of hollandaise sauce because it is so delicious! Meat lovers can order spargel with ham on the dish.
My favorite spargel dish is the spargel soup! If this is on the menu any discussion of what to order is immediately over. The answer is always spargel soup! My other half who is also the chef in the relationship made spagel soup for dinner and I was in spargel soup heaven!
Traditional spargel dish:
Where to buy spargel:
Kaiserslautern Area:
Ernst & Funck
Ramstein Saison
August-Süßdorf-Straße 2A
66877 Ramstein-Miesenbach
Sa 8-14 hr
Kaiserslautern - Trippstadterstr Saison
Trippstadter Straße 125
Mo-Fr 9-18 Uhr
67663 Kaiserslautern Sa 8-18 hr
Enkenbach-Alsenborn
Rosenhofstraße 1
67677 Enkenbach-Alsenborn
Do-Fr 9-18 Uhr
Sa 8-14 hr
Stuttgart Area:
Spargel & Obsthof Wendel
Spargelhof 1
64673 Zwingenberg
Wiesbaden Area:
Nordenstadt Globus Ostring 2, in the Globus-Parking lot
65205 Wiesbaden
Monday to Saturday from 9.00-19.00 hr
Wiesbaden-Bierstadt, Sonnenberg
Nauroder Str. (B 455) / Ecke Bayernstr., 65191 Wiesbaden
Monday to Friday from 9.00-18.00 hr,
Saturday, Sunday- and holidays from 9.00-18.00 hr
Spargel Fest not to miss:
Schwetzingen Spargel Fest
11 June 2016, Inner City
10am to Midnight
Author’s Profile: Gemma is a mom, a veteran and an Army civilian living in Wiesbaden, Germany. With New Jersey roots, she is enjoying her extended European vacation.
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