Purple asparagus

All my asparagus have now gone to fern but occasionally I notice new spears emerging from the ground.

I found this purple spear very tempting as I haven't had a good purple harvest. You definitely need to resist picking them this late in the season, they're just doing their thing and storing energy in their roots for an even better crop next year (hopefully!). 

Next month all the fern will be yellow and brittle and I'll cut the plants to the base and get a manure delivery to mulch both asparagus beds.