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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1974-06-06, Page 7Tirnes,Advocate, June 6, .1974 Page 7 Asparagus - hot & cold DEALING COUNTRY STYLE — Myra Lovell discusses an order for asparagus with customer Anne Brock of Hensall. The Lovell's five acres of asparagus produce 350 to 400 pounds a day and they now hove up to 50 customers a day. T-A photo TWO-MAN PICKER — Keith Lovell and his father Lloyd operate the two-man picker that Keith designed and built himself. The asparagus is hand-cut and sorted in the field and, on a warm day, can grow as much as eight inches a day. T-A photo ASPARAGUS BY THE CRATE-FULL — Keith Lovell loads the last crate of asparagus onto the truck before taking the morning's first load to the cooler. The asparagus is very perishable and must be put in the cooler and chilled to 34 degrees as quickly as possible to prevent wilting. T-A photo Find 4 Scrambled Names And Win $25 in Cash or one of the 10 FREE PASSES for Friday's Show The names of 4 Hensall merchants have been scrambl- ed or reversed. Locate the merchants and unscramble to their proper title. Place their correct names on the attached entry form. Submit entry forms to: Box 158 Hensall, Ontario or: drop in box at Als Super Save Contest expires June 11, 1974 at 6 p.m. 1st correct entry drawn will receive $25 cash, next ten correct entries will receive a single pass to the Ontario Fiddlers Contest on June 14, 1974 in Hensall. Winners to be announced in 13, 1974 in the Exeter Times- Advocate. Al's Super Save . of ",o '‘‘ so V. o(oNq ol° 1-e ezk Dec 9s1 St ,. ,,v5.\ end\ us, *0 l* * ai e .-- , step eo, , Doti4 14 . In'S Far Equipme E quipment o, *Drysdale m ,.. o 8°111e *ei,ic; uns ail c 0,0 .v.. '''C' to $7,00 , Hardware 4 '5'0,, 00,.or. 0\1 crININ o,,... ,, 'Sio (1.. 'Z' I, Icic" * 1- ..e. ..- StocA‘ Es+940 * -e 44 e.‘ Ti' •b '1/40 ("1 4:0 e -I' P 8 ... .' co , es04 ,,,,,. ,... Variety • coo \'!... (..'"°.> • *N14‘ , .56 ,..0, /r, ,s, Ces.1 04v 5( a le 01:3" ,k ect ., 1.41,3 ron- HENSALL COMMUNITY CENTRE JUNE 14 15, 1974 See and hear fiddling champions from Canada and the U.S.A. compete for the The Cat's In The Fiddle P.O. Box 158 — Hensall, Ontario The four scrambled merchants' names are FRIDAY, JUNE 14 ELIMINATIONS 7 P.M. ADMISSION — ADULTS 1,50 CHILDREN .50 SATURDAY, JUNE 15 PLAYDOWNS 7 P.M. DANCING — 10:30 P.M. JIM & GERRY'S COUNTRY BAND ADMISSION — ADULTS 2.50 CHILDREN .50 Name Address Phone Camping Sites for Tents and Trailers Available Produces 350 to 400 pounds a day 15 more acres ready in 1976 Asparagus farming a family protect For the Lovells of Hensall, a family project has turned into a full time operation. The asparagus business, which started out as a family project, now produces 350-400 pounds of asparagus per day and this will triple when the 15 acres they have planted matures in 1976. On their farm, jest north of Hensall, on Highway 4, Keith and Myra Lovell have 5 acres of asparagus now and have seeded another 15 acres, With his father, Lloyd Lovell, Exeter, a fieldman for Ontario Crop Insurance, they farm and market the asparagus for about six weeks in the spring, The Lovells have a two-man field operation, with a small picker that Keith designed and made himself. Father and son, together, can pick about an acre of asparagus in an hour. An extra man could be added to the picking machine but, Keith says, "the machine can only go as fast as the slowest picker" and right now he and his father pick at the same speed, A third man would slow them down. When the 15 new acres are mature, they will have a new picker which will ge 15 miles Per hour and will automatically pick everything that sticks up 3/4 of an inch from the ground. "When that goes into effect we will have sorters in the barn," Myra said, Sorting is done now in the field. Each picker cuts only those stalks which are ready, or tall enough, and leaves those that aren't ready for the next day. The sales and storage operations will also be expanded when the new acreage begins to produce, An annex on the barn will house an assembly line with conveyors, sorters and washers. The whole family has gotten into the act of growing and selling the asparagus, Myra Lovell says that even her four children, aged 10, 8, 7 and 21/2 have taken a real interest in this project and will help out; directing people to the barn and filling their order. Even the 21/2 year old tells customers who drive in that "Momma's in the barn". While the men are in the field, Mrs. Lovell takes orders and starts the days work of preparing the asparagus for sale, As soon as they are picked the stalks go into a cooler that Keith built in the barn. The asparagus is chilled to 34 degrees to ensure that it stays crisp and fresh. Water is sprinkled on the stalks to bring the temperature of the stalks down to 34 degrees quickly, after the heat of the field. Asparagus is very perishable and care must be taken to ensure that it does not wilt. ' Myra takes the orders and prepares the asparagus for the customers. She weighs and bags it, ready for them to pick it up. "I check over the asparagus as I am weighing it but I always give the customer an extra pound on a larger order, in case there are any inferior stalks that I have missed", Myra said. A curled stalk, she says, in- dicates that it has grown too fast or that a little mite has nibbled away at the one side. All these are rejected. Asparagus is becoming a more popular vegetable, Mrs. Lovell said. With the price of canned and frozen vegetables so high, many people are turning to fresh vegetables which they can freeze themselves. "Asparagus used to be sort of a luxury but has now come into line with prices on other vegetables and, many people like it as a change from corn and peas and things they get everyday", she said. Last year the Lovells restricted their customers .to a maximum of 20 pounds each because the weather was bad, so the crop was not plentiful. They wanted all their customers to be able to get some. This year some of the customers have ordered up to 100 pounds. "Many of our customers are diabetics or heart patients. Asparagus is really good for them because it has no calories or carbohydrates and we try to give these customers as much as we can," Myra said. Orders have been coming in since mid-winter. Customers from as far away as Windsor have phoned ahead to be sure that they will be able to get their supply. The Lovells no longer sell to retailers but carry their own customers from year to year. "We just can't advertise anymore," Myra said, "because we already have more customers than asparagus," The Lovells used to have signs out front of the house which said "Fresh asparagus picked daily", but they haven't put the signs up this year. Their best advertising is word of mouth and many of their customers have been referred from other customers. "Quite often people drop in off the highway to pick up two or three pounds for their dinner and we will sell to them if we have some extra that day. 14.11 most of this year's crop is already spoken for", Myra said. The book work has become a major part of their operation now, and Myra keeps track of all orders as they come in and phones the customers when their turn comes, They are not taking any more orders for this year. Right now they have up to 50 customers a day andtheir family project has become a full time operation. As much as they enjoy working on the asparagus crop, the Lovells are thankful that the season only lasts about six weeks. "It just takes so much work that we don't really have time to do some of the other things that have to be done on a farm", Myra said. She spends all day in the barn filling the orders and waiting on the customers who drop in. In 65 degree weather it takes up to 3 days for the stalks to mature and this gives the Lovells some time for other chores but in the 80 degree weather that we have been having lately, Keith says "the asparagus will grow six to eight inches a day", Asparagus can be picked all summer but, this would weaken the crowns of roots, from which the asparagus grows, so, "we can really stop picking it whenever we are tired of it", Myra says. One of the harbingers of spring, from a cook's standpoint, is the appearance of tender stalks of fresh, homegrown asparagus. They invite generous use in your meal planning . . . and not only as a hot vegetable! Next time you bring home fresh asparagus think about trying it in a new salad combination. Asparagus Pinwheel Mold (Makes 6 to 8 Servings) 11/2 lbs. fresh asparagus 3 tablespoons salad oil 2 tablespoons vinegar dash salt 2 (3-ounce) packages lime jelly pllo2wcdueprs boiling water 34 cup cold water 1 (8-ounce) package soft cream cheese 34 cup bottled Italian salad dressing 2 hard cooked eggs, coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons finely-chopped celery 2 tablespoons finely-chopped green onion Cook asparagus spears in boiling salted water until tender. Drain; cool, Cut 8 spears into 3- inch lengths and place in a shallow dish. Combine salad oil, 1 tablespoon of the vinegar and salt; pour over spears, Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours. Chop remaining asparagus; set aside. Dissolve jelly powder in boiling water. Add cold water and remaining vinegar. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually blend in salad dressing and jelly mixture. Chill until softly set; beat until smooth. Fold chopped asparagus, egg, celery and onion into jelly mixture; spoon into an 8-inch spring form pan. Drain marinated asparagus spears and arrange in a pinwheel design on top of mold, Chill until firm. Cut into wedges to serve. Rembrandt Rolls Asparagus — that delicious taste of spring and early summer — combines with ham and cheese in this nutritious main course idea. 8 slices cooked ham 8 slices Gouda cooked asparagus spears On a slice of cooked ham place a slice of Gouda and across one end 2-3 spears cooked asparagus. Roll up and place on buttered baking dish (about 12"x7") or place rolls in individual buttered ramekins, 2 per ramekin. Sauce: 4 tablespoons butter 1 small piece celery, minced 1 teaspoon minced onion 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour Pinch nutmeg 2 cups milk 1 cup shredded Edam or Gouda (4 oz.) Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat. Cook onion and celery until tender. Thoroughly blend in flour and nutmeg. Gradually pour in milk stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk until sauce thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat; fold in shredded cheese. Stir with a whisk until cheese melts and sauce is smooth. Pour sauce over rolls. If desired garnish with buttered bread crumbs or paprika. Place in a reheated 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Makes 4 servings.