Remember the forecast for this weekend, all about stormy weather? I checked my email for the tenth time just before donning my rubber boots and rain poncho thinking surely we weren’t going to plant asparagus crowns in the rain, thunder and lightning…but I was wrong. I admit to being secretly thrilled that I’d have a legitimate reason to go out in the rain and get all muddy doing something that had some redeeming value and carried with it the promise of a great lunch donated by Athens Locally Grown farmers and local merchants! How could this be anything but a wonderful adventure on a Saturday morning for this city girl who used to eat mud? All I knew regarding asparagus before yesterday was that it tastes really good with fresh lemon, dill and butter!
Yesterday was the Farmer For A Day event at Rochelle and Dee Long’s, Long Shot Farm in Oglethorpe County. Rochelle met each volunteer at the gate and effusively expressed her heartfelt gratitude that folks actually showed up to help out despite the weather. I heard Dee say over and over again, “this is so great, I can’t believe people came”.
I learned some really cool facts about asparagus like, the red seeds are poisonous, from seed to fruit is a three year process, the crowns produce stalks that are ready to harvest in two weeks, they have one very aggressive predator, the beautiful black and orange asparagus beetle who happens to be very smart (Dee says they can spot you coming and hide from you), asparagus beetles hate tomato plants (plant them every 20 inches or so) they can be mulched under tons of stuff and still find the surface and best of all, they are perennials – now how can you go wrong with such a wonderful plant that offers itself up as a quick and easy palate-pleasing vegetable of superior flavor and nutrition?
Dee and Rochelle had already prepared the garden for planting with long furrows waiting for our untrained hands to plop each of 1100 crowns down in the dirt six inches apart. We covered the roots with rich, dark soil as we progressed down each row. In about an hour we had completed a task that would have taken Dee and Rochelle days to finish alone. Many hands make light work – the look of satisfaction on the Long family faces was priceless – the rest of us were pretty pleased too!
After lunch we took a tour of their 20 acre farm with its eight foot perimeter fence which the deer routinely seem to find some new and innovative way to compromise. They have, and in some cases will have soon: blueberries, bees, more asparagus, ducks, tomatoes, cukes and a fruit orchard.
Being a Farmer For A Day was a really joyful experience for me. The storminess of the day subsided just after we finished planting which seemed right to me. A sunny day has its own beauty, a rainy day challenges us to find its charm amongst the clouds and thunder, grays and blues.
Thanks to all for a wonderful day.
What we don't see 