Poached Asparagus

This is a confession, not a recipe.  
We were delighted to discover a healthy asparagus plant sprouting alongside our front steps this spring.  We confirmed it was indeed asparagus with our propriétaire Madame J. (landlady), and then considered our culinary options.  Meanwhile, my husband prepared for another field season, left for said field season, and I was dully distracted by this and other things.

Fast forward about 3 weeks from initial date of our asparagus discovery.  I am standing with the fridge door open, facing the prospects of too much milk, too many potatoes, and dinner alone.  A chunk of hard cheese and the milk inspire a frittata (think quiche sans pie crust), and the asparagus pops into my head.  Dinner plans settled, I skip merrily out the front door, pop off a few of the thicker stalks (better harvest them first, before they get any tougher), and prepare what turned out to be a pretty tasty potato & asparagus something-like-a-gratin (fancy scalloped potatoes).  Sorry no photos - it didn't look anywhere near as good as it tasted.


Without my left-overs teammate, the gratin lasted a while.  One afternoon, shortly after I finished eating some for lunch, Madame came to the door.  She lives upstairs, so we often chat, exchange little morsels from cooking projects, etc.  She has encouraged us to make ourselves at home, and we have, completely.  

She said, "Madame, do you know who cut the asparagus out front?"  Uh ohhhh...she didn't look mad, but she clearly wasn't pleased.  
Me: "Yes...I did.  I'm sorry if that wasn't a good idea."
Mdme.: "No, that was not a good idea."
Me: "I only did it because asparagus grows more shoots when it is harvested.  If it was only one harvest, I would have left it for you.  If you'd like, I can look it up and confirm that for you."
Mdme.: "Oh, well if it grows back, then that's okay.  I hope you're right."  Yes, me too!


Later, after looking up asparagus cultivation as promised, I confirmed that it does indeed produce additional sprouts for several weeks each spring.  I shared this information with her, and explained that I really had harvested it because I thought it would be a shame if it all grew old and tough before anyone had a chance to eat it.  

She laughed and explained that she grew it just as an ornamental!  Once the harvest season is over, the remaining shoots (and you should always leave several) grow a few feet tall, and develop delicate leaves often described as fern-like.  To me they look more like giant dill with little seed pods at the ends.  It simply never occurred to me that she might grow edible plants and not eat them - that's the squirrel in me!


The rest of the story...

• I diligently checked the plant daily for about a week or more, and finally spotted new sprouts (see first picture above). They are now as tall and hearty as the original remaining sprouts.  They have lots of big leaves fixing nutrients so the root crown should overwinter in good condition.
• Mdme. was inspired by the harvesting concept, and plans to plant a row of asparagus crowns this fall.  They will line the front walk of our house, running from the porch to the sidewalk.  Her rationale: "We'll have enough to eat, and to enjoy looking at them!"  I heartily support the plan, and have offered to dig the trench when they're planted this fall.  
• I was particularly excited about our asparagus plant because back in Montana are 30 asparagus crowns I planted in my old garden.  I moved before they were mature enough to harvest, and I can't help but wonder if they're being enjoyed today.  So, I'm tickled pink that we're going to have more here.  
• There are a few other edible things, grapes and plums to name a few, that I've spotted in our yard.  I will not be harvesting one bite until I clear it with Mdme!