How to Harvest Wild Asparagus

Wild asparagus spears often appear taller and thinner than garden variety.

Although many gardeners add an asparagus patch to a home garden, the hunt for wild asparagus appeals to other asparagus lovers. The asparagus family includes hundreds of varieties, with the wild cultivars exhibiting different sizes and colors. In the hunt for wild asparagus, keep your eyes peeled for clues about where the vegetable grows each spring. Once you know where it grows, harvest wild asparagus every year to enjoy this tasty treat.

Things You'll Need

• Sharp knife or pruning shears
• Bucket

Instructions

1. Search for the wild asparagus in ditches and moist water areas with full sun. Look for the plants in the late summer and early autumn. Look for plants with a ferny, fuzzy appearance, showing foliage with an orange color. Asparagus plants produce red berries in the autumn, too. When you find an asparagus patch in the autumn, remember its location and revisit it early the following spring.

2. Take hold of a spear near the top and lightly run your hand down the stem near the bottom. Bend the stem to see where it bends easily and where it suddenly becomes rigid.

3. Cut the stem off just above the point where the stem becomes rigid using the knife or pruning shears.

4. Collect the wild asparagus stems in the bucket.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear long pants, long sleeves, closed-toe shoes and gloves as you harvest asparagus. Poison ivy often grows in the same vicinity as wild asparagus. Remove your clothing carefully and launder them immediately to avoid possible poison ivy oils.

References

• Sacred Earth: Wild Asparagus
• Wildflowers of Ontario: Wild Asparagus - Asparagus Officinalis