|  |  | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| | ||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|  | | ||||||||||||||||||||
Victorian Asparagus During the early 1900's the first commercial asparagus was grown on a 300-acre farm in the town of Vervale, by Thomas Roxburgh - a shipping agent by trade. By the 1930's the major commercial asparagus production area in Victoria was the Koo Wee Rup and Dalmore area. Soon after, this area was to become the largest asparagus producing area in Australia. In the early days, white blanched asparagus spears - harvested just as the tips emerge from the soil by cutting the spear close to the crown - was mainly destined for the processing and canning factories. Over the years the industry changed from mainly producing white asparagus to producing green asparagus, which is harvested when the spears are 25-30cm above the soil surface. Victoria has a range of soils and climates suitable for asparagus production, including those in Koo Wee Rup, East Gippsland and Lindenow in southern Victoria, Rochester and Myrtleford in north-east Victoria, and in the Mildura and Swan Hill districts of north-west Victoria.
As a result, Victoria has a longer growing season for asparagus than most other production areas in the world. The asparagus season in Victoria also complements that of other states of Australia and helps provide a continuous supply of product. Much of the plantings in Australia are of the California hybrid UC157 because it produces a premium spear of uniform size, length and overall appearance. However, additional varieties are grown in specific regions, such as Mary Washington in southern Victoria and Ida Lea in north-west Victoria. Victoria is the leading state in Australia for the production and export of fresh asparagus, producing 84% of the national asparagus crop with a Gross Value of Production of $78 million (ABS: Agriculture 1999-2000). 54% of Victorian asparagus is exported as fresh product, 22% is sold fresh on the domestic market and 24% is processed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| |
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||||||||
Back | Home | About Asparagus | Recipes & Tips | What's New | From the Chefs | Supplying Asparagus | Contact us | Site Map Copyright© Australian Asparagus Council. Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure that the information on this website is correct and up to date, no representation is made or warranty given (either express or implied) as to the completeness, accuracy or currency of the information that it contains. Last updated August 2007 | |
 | |