The first asparagus was harvested in Bavaria in March 2014, in Schrobenhausen on the outskirts of Munich. This vegetable, prized in Germany, is not usually ready for harvesting there before mid- to late April. Production of the early Schrobenhausen asparagus was in part due to underfloor heating, with warm water piped under the beds and a multi-layer plastic film covering the frames. Protected in this fashion, the young plants grow while all around is still winter – incidentally contributing to global warming as, standing at the edge of the cultivation area, is a stove producing heat from wood chips. Not for homes, but for asparagus.

For this asparagus (just as for all the other fine things in life) we can only say: the origin is not the be all and end all.

Source: http://www.zeit.de/2014/16/spargelanbau-freiland-fussbodenheizung/komplettansicht (de)