Adventures in stalking

On a lazy Saturday afternoon, I slip on my chore boots and head to the farm. They're heavy, caked with mud from the last outing, but required wear for where we are headed.

Scott hops in the truck and leads us to a vibrant mecca, a hidden spot loaded with nature's finest food: wild asparagus. He slows the vehicle to a snail's pace, his eyes perched on the driver's side ditch, while I scan the other side.

In parts of Antelope, Holt and Wheeler counties, the feral version of asparagus officinalis blankets ditches and hay meadows. The flowering perennial used to belong to the liliae family. Now, it's in a class of its own, a part of the asparagaceae family, a branch of the family tree containing onions and garlic.

Eureka! We strike gold on both sides of the road. I angle down the steep incline and trudge through knee-high water and mud and begin working my way down the fence line, stopping to snap stalks and add them to my collection of fresh pickings.

Scott finds success along the other side of the road, and when we emerge from the trenches, about a quarter mile from our parked vehicle, our bags are filled to the brim with thick pieces of the vegetable.

We return to the truck, head toward another patch and go our separate ways, zig-zagging a path in the field, before meeting up a half-mile later.

While asparagus hunting may sound lonely, it's a chance for much-needed meditation, moments under the wide expanse of Nebraska's horizon line, quality time for two individuals who put in long hours in their chosen careers.

It's also a family affair. Generations of Scott's family have combed the countryside, searching for the green goddess. My parents introduced me to the treasure hunt when I was a youngster.

Now, our children and grandchildren join in, making memories, continuing the tradition.

The hunt also provides an opportunity for bragging rights. Who is the best asparagus hunter in the family?

This time, we netted 17 pounds, with Scott finding two pounds more than what's in my stockpile.

Not bad for an hour-long hunt.