This is surely one of the favourite Spring activities for locals. Wild asparagus season starts mid March and sometimes goes on for a whole month. Asparagus need sun and water to come out, so this period is ideal for their growth. Foraging wild asparagus can be a great outdoor activity and a rewarding one too, since you can make delicious risottos or scrumbled eggs with them!
Don’t be deceived if you see locals carrying handfuls of asparagus in their hands- it’s not so easy as it looks to find them. You can find asparagus in nature everywhere on the Island. Wild asparagus are not hard to spot in the rest of vegetation. They are always in small green spikey bushes around trees and cannot be mistaken for any other plant which can do harm if eaten.
Wild asparagus are purple and green, thin and delicate and contain a lot more flavour than the cultivated one. When preparing your scrambled eggs or risotto with asparagus, make sure you remove the hard bits of the asparagus and use only the soft tips.
Typically, there is a food festival during asparagus season on the Island, whereby 30 odd restaurants offer meals based on aspaagus at an affordable price to all the Island guests.
Whether you choose to enjoy it in the forrest by picking them or in one of the local restaurants by eating them- we hope to see you here in Spring for some asparagus celebration!