Experience Germany’s Asparagus Season

Each May, farms, restaurants, and even a festival welcome travelers to savor local produce.

Exploring the Asparagus Trail

By the time I arrived for dinner, I was in a full-on asparagus frenzy. All afternoon, I had been following part of the 84-mile “asparagus trail” that passes through the German state of Baden-Württemberg. I stopped at tiny roadside markets marked by giant white plastic models of the vegetable, and hand-painted signs announcing FRISCHER SPARGEL (fresh asparagus). Upon arriving at Simianer Spargelhof, on the outskirts of Hambrücken, I followed a path through rows of dirt mounds, beneath which lay what Germans lovingly call “white gold.”

Schwetzingen: The Asparagus Capital

In early May of last year, I followed the Badische Spargelstraße, stopping in the towns of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Reilingen, and Bruchsal. My target was Schwetzingen, a city of almost 22,000 that is Germany’s self-proclaimed asparagus capital. The vegetable was first cultivated in the garden of the Baroque Schwetzingen Palace in 1668, later evolving into a significant industry, with the first asparagus festival held in 1904.

On my visit, I checked in at Hotel Gästehaus am Schloss, conveniently located near the palace and the main square. The renowned Spargelfrau, a statue of a woman selling asparagus at a market stall, is also nearby.

The Annual Asparagus Festival

The festival morning started with an introduction to the mayor, René Pöltl, who expressed, “Asparagus belongs to our city like nothing else. People say you can taste the difference here.” Later, I met this year’s “Asparagus Queen,” Anna Schumacher, who represented her family’s farm in nearby Forst. Dressed in her gown and tiara, she presided over festive activities, including asparagus throwing and peeling competitions, with prizes like asparagus liqueur.

I grabbed lunch at Spargelhof Fackel-Kretz, where 90-year-old Ilse Fackel-Kretz-Keller had spent hours preparing fresh asparagus salad. Witnessing her daughter Elfriede demonstrate the meticulous harvesting process deepened my appreciation for this seasonal produce. Unlike green asparagus, the white variety grows underground, preventing it from green coloring through photosynthesis, thus requiring skilled labor to harvest each stalk by hand.

Anna, the Asparagus Queen, showcased her technique to carefully dig and slice the stalk, reaffirming why Spargel commands a premium price of around $8 to $10 per pound.

Although some farmers in different regions of Germany are using plastic and artificial heating to harvest asparagus earlier in the year, Schwetzingen adheres to its traditional timeline, commencing festivities in mid to late April and concluding in June. Mayor Pöltl remarked, “We start when it starts. We don’t know when. The asparagus gods know.”

This unique annual event defines Spargelzeit as a cherished time for locals. As they savor the seasonal delights, many indulge daily until the end of the harvest, stating, “Okay, it’s enough. We will wait again till next year.”