Asparagus starts the ball rolling on the local growing season
Spring means that local food is coming online across Ontario at farmers' markets and roadside stalls, making it an important time to buy local, says the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.
With the fresh season upon us, the OFA and its Home Grown project are promoting the more than 200 different foods and farm commodities in the province.
'Spring means the beginning of a new growing season in Ontario, which will bring with it a whole new wave of opportunities for consumers to support local food and farming businesses by buying products grown right here at home,' said OFA director Larry Davis in a release.
The season's first crop is asparagus, which is shooting out of the ground at this very moment. Asparagus season is very short, but it is very intense, he notes.
'It's planted as a tuber and deep in the soil, and then it takes a little while to come to a product. Getting a crop in the first year isn't immediate. It's probably the second year before you get a crop, and then it can be harvested almost daily,' Davis explained.
'Once the weather gets warm and there is lots of sunshine, it grows quickly.'
Asparagus shoots can grow 10 inches in a 24-hour period and are harvested daily. If it grows well, it can be harvested twice daily, said Davis, who farms in Norfolk County, where most of Canada's asparagus grows.
Ninety per cent of the asparagus grown is a variety developed at the University of Guelph called the Guelph Millennium. It's adapted to cooler climates and produces higher yields than other varieties, the OFA notes.
It is high in Vitamin A, which is considered important for vision, immunity and growth/healing, and is also a significant source of antioxidants among other nutritional benefits, according to Ontario Asparagus.
Davis told The Observer that buying local produce such as asparagus not only supports area producers but also enhances local economies.
'It boosts the local food production so smaller, independent businesses can have the flexibility to cater to local markets. They can get produce from niche markets. And the local consumer needs are well addressed from local, smaller batch production.'
With the current political climate of uncertainty, buying local and supporting Ontario farmers has been at the forefront of the minds of Ontarians.
'At OFA, we are seeing a dramatic surge in consumer demand for local products, based on the questions we get regularly about how to shop local, how to identify Ontario and Canadian-made products.'
If you are inserted in how you can buy local or recipe ideas, go to
www.homegrownofa.ca
.
'Every aspect of the economy grows when you support local,' said Davis.
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