SONOMA, CA – Generally cooler than normal weather in California continues to slow spear development in asparagus beds. Some growers at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley have started to harvest limited volumes, as have a few Westside growers. The Salinas Valley will start shortly, with the principal Delta growing area still a week away from the start of harvest.
Marc Marchini of A M Farms says, “daytime temperatures have been warm enough to help the asparagus mature, but low temperatures at night discourage the spears from emerging. Additional time in the beds improves quality, so we’re optimistic that this is going to be a great year for California asparagus.”
Cherie Watte, Executive Director of the California Asparagus Commission confirmed that once the renewal of the Marketing Order was passed by a wide margin, the growers approved an aggressive promotion campaign to help retailers move asparagus into shopper’s carts. The plan includes a series of product usage ideas for consumers and foodservice press releases, market-proven point-of-sale materials to call attention to this high-impulse purchase item, and sales incentive programs for commercial and non-commercial foodservice segments. Full information regarding all of these materials and programs can be found on the recently redesigned and updated calasparagus.com Web site.
Cherie added, “with the help of Mother Nature, this could be our best asparagus season ever.” It is expected that the harvest will continue through early June.
Source: California Asparagus Commission