Remember the asparagus fields that I said I was going to take some photos of? I did manage to get there before the pickers stopped for the day, even after crashing the antique machinery birthday party. [See yesterday’s post.] We’ve had high winds for three days, and I’m sure it’s not a fun thing to be laying on a machine close to the ground with the wind kicking you in the face. Asparagus picking machines somewhat resemble airplanes, and I wonder if any of them were almost airborne with the gusts of wind. The stormy skies make for great atmospheric shots… and I managed to get a few, oh about 600 of them. That’s a lot of shots.
The fields at Okanagan Asparagus Farm are large, and gently undulating, with beautiful perfectly sandy loam soil… it’s rimmed in the distance by mountains, and it’s simply a gorgeous place to visit. Do you recall a post I wrote the other day about taking shots in the asparagus fields with my oh so sore back? And just as I was squatting way down to the ground taking pictures in the field near the almost always deserted road, there was a group of cyclists that drove by, and gave me a funny look? Well, this time I caught them in action…
The asparagus picker is guided by a long pole that follows a trench in the ground, it slowly chugs along until it reaches the end of the row, where someone turns it around and sets the pole into the next trench. Up to four people lay on their stomachs near the ground, and gently snap the asparagus off. The fresh from the field asparagus is laid in a plastic tote, all spears pointing inwards to keep them pristine.
As the totes fill up, they are left at the end of the row, and picked up by workers, who transport them to the washing shed, before they are stored in the specially built cooler. You certainly can’t get any fresher then that.
I was so intent on taking photos of the asparagus picking machine coming at me, trying to get that perfect shot, with the moody sky behind them, that I forgot I can’t get up quickly with my back… Here lies Jane, run over by the asparagus pickers, she was always trying to be green, now she is. But I made it up at the last second, and dashed out of the way.
Okanagan Asparagus farm is located on Lansdowne road in Armstrong selling fresh picked, hand snapped asparagus that is very popular, Jackie said that they sold out opening day and again yesterday. People in the area seem to know their quality local grown asparagus is better then anywhere else, since they are always busy at the farm. Tender, juicy, without the typical woody stems of imported asparagus, if you live nearby, be sure to drop in, they are open from 8 – 6 every day of the week, asparagus season is a short lived season, and you wouldn’t want to miss out. If you are looking for a interesting collection of asparagus recipes check them out on their Pinterest site.