Back in the 1980s, Bill Cummings discovered he had a deep love of cultivating nature’s bounty. The keen farmer began learning the intricacies of horticulture, and in the late 1980s he turned his hand to the asparagus industry. He began by honing his skills managing asparagus for Boyd’s Asparagus. In 2000 Bill and his wife Irene decided to take the leap and start up Greenfern Asparagus and go out on their own building a new packhouse in Cambridge – a choice that would shape the family’s future for generations.
The business started in international exports, with Japan a key market. However, as the export landscape shifted, the family leaned more into the domestic markets, including direct sales and partnerships with quality distributors like Bidfood. Along with packing their own product, Bill and Irene were also packing product for an external organic grower; when that grower retired, the pair decided to go organic themselves. Irene can still be found selling her seasonal asparagus between September and December at farmers markets across the Waikato.
It was one auspicious night over a bottle of red wine with the late Dr Peter Falloon that they also decided to venture into white asparagus. Today, Greenfern is a thriving family business run by Bill, Irene – the driving force behind the company - and their son Hadyn. It’s been a story of hard work, dedication and passion that is rooted in humble beginnings, and a shared vision for excellence and the freshest of produce. With Hadyn’s introduction into the company in 2022, the family business continued to once again evolve. Hadyn began talking with seed companies – an idea that brought in fresh perspective and renewed energy, and a new era of growth began. Innovation, technology and new asparagus varieties were introduced. Bill’s horticultural knowledge, Irene’s passion for bringing fresh produce to the markets and Hadyn’s innovative spirit have together created a unique and comprehensive offering in which each family member plays an integral role.
Today, the legacy of Greenfern continues to thrive. With each asparagus season, this humble, hardworking trio sow the seeds of tomorrow, nurturing a tradition of excellence that now spans across generations.
Growing your greens
Nutritious Greenfern Asparagus comes in all shapes, sizes and colours; slender green spears, luscious thick green varieties, pale white spears and the elegant and colourful purple vegetables.
Related to the lily family, green asparagus is the most popular variety, grown from underground rhizomes. White asparagus is created from growing green and purple varieties in total darkness; Greenfern is currently in the process of adding sweet, juicy Dutch varieties that have been bred to be white. The purple coloured asparagus is created from high anthocyanins in the spears.
The lifecycle of asparagus starts at seed. Originally grown in transplant potters, they are then transplanted into soil. The farm gets three years of full production – the asparagus is picked if there is any threat of frost.
Once all asparagus has been picked the plants begin to brown off. During winter, the soil is mowed, leaving it bare – and as August comes around, spears begin to emerge once again from the darkness. This cycle happens for around 10-15 years until production begins to fall away. After this there is a period of 3-5 years rest before replanting can begin.
Keeping it fresh
Once the asparagus is harvested, it’s packaged and loaded for delivery that afternoon, before being stored in local Bidfresh outlets overnight, and collected for delivery to customers by 5am – a timespan of just 48 hours between harvest and delivery to customers.
Time to create
In your spring kitchen, the possibilities for asparagus delights are endless. Roasted, grilled, sautéed, blanched or even thinly sliced raw in a salad, asparagus lends itself to a myriad of culinary delights. From tender green spears to the sweeter notes of white asparagus, each variety offers a unique taste experience.
Store with love
The best way to store your asparagus is to keep the bases in water. Ensure you replace with fresh, clean water or use a wet muslin towel; this will keep them crisp and fresh for more than a week.
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