The little asparagus farm has been in operation for decades. So long in fact, that the asparagus sold there is somewhat unique. Most of the asparagus plants grown in Ontario are hybrids developed at Guelph University an hour east of London. The Greenland asparagus predates most of the hybrid plants grown on Ontario farms.
A few years ago a type of rust destroyed the Ontario asparagus crop. The Greenland farm was one of the few stands selling locally grown spears. The rust rippled through the mono culture found almost everywhere in the province but it didn't affect the older asparagus variety grown in the London suburb.
Today, Guelph University is bragging about a new hybrid it has developed. Apparently this was a tough spring. It was both very warm early on and then there was a late freeze accompanied by a blanket of snow. The Guelph hybrids stood up well to the extreme weather.
It is interesting to note that the old, heritage variety grown on the Greenland farm had done just fine this spring. I had an early sample and the crop came through the extreme weather just fine.
1 comment:
I've never had asparagus.
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