Finnish asparagus is of the highest quality

Jari Suominen, Sauli Suominen and Ingrida Alijosiute started growing asparagus in 2015. Wind Lindgren

The difference in taste is significant. You will notice it as soon as you take the domestic asparagus in your hand.

On the same day, the light green asparagus picked up from the field and rinsed with water crumbles crisply between the teeth. The taste of the Xenolim variety is mild, fresh and very reminiscent of peas. The word asparagus tastes like summer.

The asparagus is picked from Sauvo, a Järvenkylä farm where asparagus is grown Jari Suominen together with his son Sauli Suominen and his wife Ingrida Alijosiuten with now the eighth year. Growing asparagus was originally Jari’s idea, and Ingrida wasn’t excited about it at first. However, training and experience have made it easier to grow asparagus that requires patience, and the lessons learned are reflected in production volumes.

Last summer, 80,000 bundles of asparagus went on sale from the farm, this season the target is 120,000 bundles.

– Now this is starting to be ram meat, as the old peasant used to say, Jari Suominen says.

But there is still enough work in the asparagus. Ingrida Alijosiute says that the biggest challenge at the moment is to teach Finns how to eat Finnish asparagus. In Finland, imported asparagus is sold and eaten, and it is briskly eaten, but domestic asparagus is not yet very well known.

– A couple of summers ago, we had to throw away 3,000 bundles of asparagus when no one bought it, says Jari Suominen.

So sharing information is really necessary so that valuable asparagus does not end up in waste.

The asparagus is picked by hand

The journey continues to the asparagus fields. The cultivation area of ​​Järvenkylä’s farm is even more seabed and is therefore excellently suitable for growing asparagus.

– The appearance of the field always surprises visitors and causes disappointments. Asparagus is picked before the buds burst, Ingrida warns in advance.

No field really cereal field or berry fields Remind, but it still looks fun with asparagus sticking out of the ground.

Most asparagus is straight, but there are also a few curves and asparagus grown obliquely.

– They are a sign of disturbances in the irrigation balance, Ingrida explains.

Not all farm fields use an irrigation system.

The asparagus is picked with a hand-held cutter five centimeters below the ground. Asparagus is picked once a day, twice on the best days.

The asparagus is washed and bundled and sold at its best even on the same day. Freshness is therefore guaranteed.