Asparagus acutifolius

In March and April seemingly all of Occitanie goes crazy for wild asparagus. It is found in woody or uncultivated places, like the garrigue, on dry and sunny soil. I haven’t found masses of it while out walking but every spring I do find quite a few young shoots in the garden on the slopes, in the grass around trees, and under hedges. Asparagus acutifolius shoots are much skinnier and have a more intense flavor than regular asparagus. They are delicious cooked with vinaigrette, in risottos, or fried with scrambled eggs. 

Like most wild plants around the Mediterranean the plant itself is pretty prickly to the touch, protecting itself with pointy needle-like leaves and a hard woody stalk as well as an incredibly deep and tenacious root system and vigorous growth. In the summer it’s quite a bother in the garden and I cut if off where I find it. It flowers in late summer and forms small berries that are ripe in winter.