Class 1.6. Fruit, vegetables and cereals, fresh or processed

The asparagus stalks (= young shoots of the asparagus species ‘Asparagus officinalis L.’) must be intact, healthy, free of damage from inappropriate washing, clean, fresh in appearance and smell, pest-free and free of damage from rodents or insects, crushing, bruising or abnormal external moisture, and of foreign odours and/or taste. The cut at the base of the stalks must be as clean as possible. In addition, the asparagus stalks must not be hollow, split, or peeled. Small cracks which have appeared after harvesting are permitted to a limited extent. Marchfeld asparagus has a typical, fine asparagus aroma, with few bitter substances. Its taste must not be bitter or woody.

The asparagus is divided into four categories according to its colour:

white asparagus, violet asparagus: tips of a colour between pink and violet/purple and a partly white stalk, violet-green asparagus: partly violet and green colouring, green asparagus: tips and most of the stalk must be green.

White and violet asparagus must not exceed 22 cm in length, violet-green and green asparagus must not exceed 25 cm in length.

Varieties:

German: Ruhm von Braunschweig, Schwetzinger Meisterschuss, Huchels Auslese, Lukullus, Vulkan, Presto, Merkur, Hermes, Eposs, Ravel, Ramos. Green asparagus varieties (= anthocyanin-free) Spaganiva, Schneewittchen, Schneekopf, Dutch: Venlim, Carlim, Gijnlim, Boonlim, Backlim, Thielim, Horlim, Prelim, Grolim, French: Larac, Cito, Aneto, Desto, Selection ‘Darbonne no4’, Selection ‘Darbonne no3’, Jacq. Ma. 2001, Jacq. Ma. 2002, Andreas, Dariana, Cipres, Viola, United States: Mary Washington

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Marchfeld asparagus is marketed in firmly bound bundles, stacked in boxes, or in small packs. The asparagus is sorted by size according to the diameters in the specification. The contents of each package or bundle must be uniform and must include only asparagus of the same origin, product category and colour category. The asparagus may be packaged only in anti-humidity, light-deflecting materials which can be sealed.

A special transport system ensures that daily fresh asparagus is available throughout Austria within 24 hours.

Common logo; the protected label ‘Marchfeldspargel’ and name, address, colour category, class, grade, weight, and number of packages.

The Marchfeld region is influenced by the climate of the western foothills of the Pannonian Steppes and has specific soil types (riverside, chernozem, colluvial and alluvial soils with high humus levels and varying high levels of loam and loess). Together with south-east Styria, it has the most days of sunshine per year of any region in Austria and it is one of the warmest areas in the country. The Marchfeld region has been an influential asparagus-producing region since the nineteenth century (at the time of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, individual farms supplied the Imperial Court in Vienna), so the Marchfeld asparagus farmers are very experienced in asparagus cultivation. The favourable production conditions make it easy to comply with ecological standards.

Marchfeld asparagus is characterised by its distinctive asparagus aroma; it contains fewer bitter substances than comparable products and is striking on account of its particular tenderness.

The climatic conditions, combined with the specific soil types, are ideal for asparagus cultivation. The high average temperatures together with sufficient moisture mean that conditions are very well-suited to cultivation. The wild form of asparagus is thus native to the Marchfeld region. The long experience of the Marchfeld asparagus farmers helps to ensure that only varieties best-suited to the production conditions are cultivated. Given that the asparagus varieties used are well-suited to the specific soil conditions in the Marchfeld region, Marchfeld asparagus contains very few bitter substances. Moreover, Marchfeld asparagus shoots are harvested shorter than comparable products, so they are less woody.

Marchfeld asparagus also enjoys a good reputation; the ‘Marchfeld asparagus season’ is opened by leading political, business and cultural figures, and as part of this event, the ‘Marchfeld asparagus queen’ is crowned.