this can’t be wild asparagus, i told jean-luc. wild asparagus ferns are feathery and soft. these are prickly and just drew blood from my middle finger. they must be some other plant. no, in fact, they are wild asparagus, and even this gentle plant has thorns here. or leaves so dense from intense sunlight that they act like thorns. it’s the equivalent of the woody, dense, brushy wild thyme we find in the garrigue here, compared to the soft feathery thyme of short, mostly mild, minnesota summers. there’s a reason everything tastes stronger here. the sun seems to pull extra flavor from almost everything.

wild asparagus (asparagus acutifolius)

autignac, france