“A” is for asparagus.

In a way starting an alphabet book in winter it is fitting to start with asparagus. Right now the asparagus patch is brown and seemingly empty of life. But “seemingly” is deceptive. The spears begin to show in late February. And it still remains a surprise to walk by the patch and spot that first spear, popped up like a mushroom after a rain. How did it get to be six inches tall without our noticing? Eating that first asparagus raw, still cool from the morning chill is one of those things on a farm that makes the labor have purpose. We harvest them daily for about 10 weeks.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Reading this weekend Jared Diamond’s new release, The World Until Yesterday: what can we learn from traditional societies.