THE QUEST
GERMANY
NATGEOTRAVEL.COMFor the Love of
White Gold
Stalking Germany’s trusty
asparagus in Münsterland
By Christie Dietz
Photographs by Celia ToppingI
’m scouring the flat upper
surface of the knee-high,
gray-brown mound of soil
for the tiny undulations that
might indicate a spear of white
asparagus trying to break
through.
Standing next to me, Lukasz
Dominikowski, armed with
his asparagus cutter (a long,
flat tool with a sharp, forked
blade), has detected a ripple.
He plunges two thickly gloved
fingers into the soil, pushes
it away to expose a single
cream-colored spear, then
slides his asparagus cutter
down alongside it, perfectly
parallel, and breaks it away
from its root. Picking up a flat
trowel, he smoothes over evi-
dence of his operation.
It’s all over in less than 30
seconds, and I’m left trying to
work out how he knew anything
was there.THE QUEST
GERMANY
NATGEOTRAVEL.COM
For the Love of
White Gold
Stalking Germany’s trusty
asparagus in Münsterland
By Christie Dietz
Photographs by Celia ToppingI
’m scouring the flat upper
surface of the knee-high,
gray-brown mound of soil
for the tiny undulations that
might indicate a spear of white
asparagus trying to break
through.
Standing next to me, Lukasz
Dominikowski, armed with
his asparagus cutter (a long,
flat tool with a sharp, forked
blade), has detected a ripple.
He plunges two thickly gloved
fingers into the soil, pushes
it away to expose a single
cream-colored spear, then
slides his asparagus cutter
down alongside it, perfectly
parallel, and breaks it away
from its root. Picking up a flat
trowel, he smoothes over evi-
dence of his operation.
It’s all over in less than 30
seconds, and I’m left trying to
work out how he knew anything
was there.