Sure you can harvest asparagus with a knife, but you risk cutting yourself as well! Photo: Better Homes and Gardens
Asparagus is usually harvested by breaking or cutting the stalk just below the ground. Some people do this using a sharp knife, but I find it too easy to injure the plant … and yourself!
Of course, there is a special tool for harvesting asparagus called an asparagus knife, which can be ordered by mail from a specialty store. Sometimes it is quite knifelike, but usually, it looks more like a chisel with a notch at the tip and has no truly sharp edge that could cut you.
Still, I don’t see the point of multiplying the number of garden tools you have to infinity, especially when I find that the good ol’ dandelion weeder—a basic tool most gardeners already own—is just as good for harvesting asparagus spears.
Simply hold the spear in one hand, slip the dandelion weeder into the ground at the base of the spear until you feel it connect, then give a slight push forward and up: you’ll have a perfect asparagus spear in your hand.
Plus, you can also dig out a few dandelions in passing: two birds with one stone!
Article originally published on May 16, 2015.
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