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Asparagus season!

ghostrider
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ghostrider

ghostrider

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Last week marked the beginning of the local asparagus season, as I discovered on a chance visit to the Union Sq Greenmarket in NYC on Monday 4/25.

And once again I find it inconceivably insane that New York City is my closest source of fresh local produce at this time of year. The Jersey greenmarkets don't seem to get up & running until high summer, by which time the asparagus is long gone.

Can anyone recommend a good source for the local stuff in North Jersey (Bergen / Passaic / Essex County area)?

Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea!

- Sydney Smith, English clergyman & essayist, 1771-1845

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Curlz

Curlz

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As crazy as this sounds (esp b/c of the terrible quality of most of their produce), I've bought at least 5 GORGEOUS bunches at my local Shop Rite in the last two weeks! At 1.99/lb, to boot. Roasted 'em. YUM.

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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adegiulio

adegiulio

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Oh, how I pity all of you New Jersey folks. As an almost (moving next week) Upstate New Yorker, we have a pick your own asparagus farm about a mile away. Fresh as possible. Oh, and Curlz, 1.99 is a real gyp. Up there they price it by putting both hands together in a big O...thumb to thumb, middle finger to middle finger. That's two dollars please....

Sometimes I don't even pick it. I just get real low and bite it right off...Can eat a 1/4 acre an hour that way :biggrin::biggrin:

Just when you are tired of asparagus, pick your own green peas are coming in. Pea flavored candy...they are addictive.

"It's better to burn out than to fade away"-Neil Young

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ghostrider

ghostrider

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As crazy as this sounds (esp b/c of the terrible quality of most of their produce), I've bought at least 5 GORGEOUS bunches at my local Shop Rite in the last two weeks!  At 1.99/lb, to boot.  Roasted 'em.  YUM.

Would that be the big one in Lyndhurst?

Is it actual Jersey asparagus?

(No comment on Anthony's post because I am way jealous.)

EDIT:

A friend has recommended DePiero's in Montvale. Some googling has led me to other possible sources listed right here. There is yet hope!

Edited by ghostrider (log)

Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea!

- Sydney Smith, English clergyman & essayist, 1771-1845

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Curlz

Curlz

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Would that be the big one in Lyndhurst?

Is it actual Jersey asparagus?

(No comment on Anthony's post because I am way jealous.)

Yup, that's the one! Honestly not sure if it's Jersey asparagus or not, but it has been great. Went through 3 huge bundles of it last weekend at my Psuedo Pseder! :biggrin:

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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rooftop1000

rooftop1000

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yech yech yech...

they just redid the A&P near me in Pompton Lakes it looks an awfull lot like whole foodies place now ...with the same kind of prices.

The asparagus was 2.99 looked nice in its new display but they had it standing in water .....old water and the ends were all collapsed and slimy.

I told the cashier that if there was someone in produce she didnt like to go tell em they had slimy asparagus.....

I got a zucchini....1.99#....yikes

tracey

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Rebecca263

Rebecca263

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Oh My Goodness! Kiddle and I would love to go to farmer's markets up here.... I'm getting a map and figuring all of those Monmouth County places out for the weekend. Anything off of Rt 9 is a mystery to me.

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ghostrider

ghostrider

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Forgot to mention that the first-of-season NYC Greenmarket asparagus was $3.49 a lb. But it was so FRESH and so delicious. And I was already there; I'd probably use up any price differential in gas to get to any of the Jersey places. And the bag of mixed lettuce I got from the same farmer - good Lord, what flavor.

Still, I plan to check some of these Jersey farm stands real soon, since I'm not in NYC every week.

Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea!

- Sydney Smith, English clergyman & essayist, 1771-1845

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Curlz

Curlz

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Does anyone know when the Montclair Farmer's Mkt opens? I bet they'd have local asparagus...

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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ghostrider

ghostrider

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The Jersey Fresh site that I linked above gives the info. Montclair Farmers' Mkt starts 6/12, by which time asparagus season is fading fast. That's the pity of the whole thing. May is really your prime asparagus month.

Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea!

- Sydney Smith, English clergyman & essayist, 1771-1845

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Curlz

Curlz

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Ghost, I thought of you tonight as I ate about 10 stalks from a 3lb. bunch that I picked up for $3.99 from Costco on my way home! Not local (CA), but GORGEOUS, and very very sweet.

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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ghostrider

ghostrider

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Ghost, I thought of you tonight as I ate about 10 stalks from a 3lb. bunch that I picked up for $3.99 from Costco on my way home!  Not local (CA), but GORGEOUS, and very very sweet.

The price is right!

Whole Foods (while they're still open! :wink: ) has the same stuff for $3.99 for 1 lb. I guess that's where the WHole Paycheck rep comes from. It looks good, but I'm still after the local stuff if I can find it. Gonna call some farms tomorrow & see where I get.

Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea!

- Sydney Smith, English clergyman & essayist, 1771-1845

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Oceangroveguy

Oceangroveguy

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Call Peter's Farm Market in Neptune - 732 775 4428 - they had local asparagus last year (I haven't been there lately). You can try Delicious Orchards 732 462 1989 or Sickle's Mkt 732 741 9563 to see if they have any

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camper

camper

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Terhune Orchards in Lawrenceville harvests about 15 pounds every morning for three dollars a pound. The asparagus is awesome. I know it is a little far for Northern NJ people but it is worth it.

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ghostrider

ghostrider

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Terhune Orchards in Lawrenceville harvests about 15 pounds every morning for three dollars a pound. The asparagus is awesome. I know it is a little far for Northern  NJ people but it is worth it.

Not sure where Lawrenceville is, but I have patronized their truck at the Union Sq Greenmarket in NYC for years. I suspect that's still more convenient to me than their farm.

Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea!

- Sydney Smith, English clergyman & essayist, 1771-1845

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ghostrider

ghostrider

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Whole Foods (in Montclair, still open!) now has "Native NJ Asparagus" for $3.99 a lb. You have to look closely at the labels on individual bunches, since they still have a lot of CA stalks intermingled with the local stuff.

And when you do look closely at the label, you find that it says "Packed & sold by Eastern Fresh Growers, Cedarville NJ. Produce of USA." Conspicuously absent is the Jersey Fresh logo. No way to know just where this stuff was grown.

Furthermore, given the rubberiness of the stalks, I could find no palpable difference between the Eastern Fresh stuff & the CA, though the right-coast stalks were a slightly richer shade of green.

Unlike the similarly priced NYC Greenmarket stalks, which were intensely fresh & crisp, this lot does strike me as a bit of a ripoff. Still, with no time yet to drive up to any of the farms I've found, I allowed myself to be ripped off & bought a small bunch.

The search will continue!

Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea!

- Sydney Smith, English clergyman & essayist, 1771-1845

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ghostrider

ghostrider

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Corrado's has WA asparagus for 59 cents the lb. Can't beat the price, but I'm still holding out for the FRESH local stuff.

Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea!

- Sydney Smith, English clergyman & essayist, 1771-1845

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  • 2 weeks later...
Jennifer Brizzi

Jennifer Brizzi

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Welcome to Dutchess County, adegulio. You'll love it here. I bought some killer asparagus yesterday across the river for at Gill's Farm Stand in Hurley for $1.49 a pound.

Oops, just realized this is the Jersey forum. Sorry..well we're only a couple hours north...

Jennifer Brizzi

Author of "Ravenous," a food column for Ulster Publishing (Woodstock Times, Kingston Times, Dutchess Beat etc.) and the food blog "Tripe Soup"

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Curlz

Curlz

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There's an interesting article about Jersey asparagus in today's Star Ledger.

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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  • 2 weeks later...
ghostrider

ghostrider

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There's an interesting article about Jersey asparagus in today's Star Ledger.

That was a good article, thanks!

But both asparagus researchers and growers agree that regardless of variety, whether grown up north or down south, for optimum flavor, asparagus should be savored as close to harvest as possible. "In a way, it's like sweet corn," said Donaldson. "If you eat it right after it's harvested or in a day or two, it has a sweetness to it." Bill Tietjen, agricultural agent for the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Warren County, puts it another way: "It melts in your mouth."

And that's what it's all about. We found some at the stand at the Hoboken train station that I rank as the second best of the year. Must try to find more on the weekend. The season is going all too fast....

Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea!

- Sydney Smith, English clergyman & essayist, 1771-1845

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