Philip Owen has been growing asparagus with his dad for many years at their farm in Little Whitley, a small village located 8 miles from Worcester.
Philips's favourite part of growing asparagus is the harvest. He says "there s nothing like going up and down the field with the radio on and having a bit of banter with the picking labourers, many of whom we ve known for years. We always end up with some sort of competitive picking fun! I'm never happier than at the end of a long sunny harvesting day at about eight o'clock when we've got asparagus coming out of our ears - too much even to store!"
Originally established in 1938, by Mr Owen Snr, the farm started producing asparagus crops about 12 years ago when Philip arrived on the farm after studying at agricultural college. The family farm covers 138 acres and comprises asparagus, cherries, strawberries and a few other 'experimental' things. This year, 80 acres of asparagus is being grown although the past two growing seasons have been very wet and disappointing.
Most of the asparagus produced is sold to a cooperative which goes on to multiple retailers. In addition, they supply asparagus to the local farm shops like Bewdley farm shop and Broomfield farm shop in Holts Heath. They can't wait for the asparagus to arrive and the season to begin as it is eagerly anticipated by their customers and draws them in.
Asparagus growing isn't always an easy life with long hard days and an often unpredictable crop. So what would Philip do if he had to give it all up? Philip says, "I d buy a VW camper van, do it up and potter off on a few adventures with my wife and son - but it s never going to happen. If I had more time and money, I would just buy more land - I love what I do!"
The most intriguing part of the job for Philip is waiting for the asparagus harvesting season to start. He says "you never know when the harvesting will begin as basically you have to wait for the soil to be warm enough, so you have to be patient. It can be frustrating but it s one of the mysteries of asparagus growning".
Philip enjoys the spoils of his labour and recommends that asparagus should be cooked quickly and served in his favourite way with hollandaise, new potatoes and a good bit of ham.
