Spring is here, asparagus is around the corner

There’s no trace of snow on the valley floor, the Mariners are playing baseball again and the days are getting longer, which means just one thing.

It’s almost time for asparagus.

One of Yakima Valley’s rites of spring is the annual asparagus harvest, which typically starts in early-to-mid-April, depending on weather and other factors.

For lovers of the spear-shaped vegetables, spring is the time to get their fix of the fresh stuff, whether it’s a side dish, a fried snack or with a Bloody Mary.

Here’s a few things to chew on while you wait for asparagus to show up at the vegetable stand or the farmer’s market.

▪ Washington is one of the nation’s largest asparagus growers.

A quarter of the nation’s asparagus crop was harvested in the Evergreen State in 2016. Washington farmers produced 21.1 million pounds of the vegetable that year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The state is third in the nation in asparagus production, behind California and Michigan, agriculture officials say.

▪ You don’t have to plant it every year.

Asparagus is a perennial plant, typically grown from a crown with the first edible spears coming in three years later. A typical asparagus plant can produce spears for 10 or 11 years, said Jon Nishi, a Mabton asparagus grower.

And it used to be longer, Nishi said, with an asparagus field producing spears for 15-20 years before needing to be replanted.

▪ Asparagus tamales are a thing.

Los Hernandez Tamales in Union Gap has been making asparagus tamales for the past 15 years, after co-owner June Hernandez decided to make one for lunch one day. Since then, it's become a popular item, with people coming as far as northern California to get one, said Felipe Hernadez.

But like pumpkin-spice lattes, the asparagus tamales are a seasonal item. Once the harvest is over, so are the asparagus tamales, said Rachel Wilburn, Hernadez's daughter and the shop's manager.

This story was originally published March 24, 2017 at 9:05 AM with the headline "Spring is here, asparagus is around the corner."