ASPARAGUS
May is National Asparagus Month and May 17 is Asparagus Day. Oceana County, Michigan proclaims itself Asparagus Capitol of the World and hosts the National Asparagus Festival with its own Asparagus Queen. Hadley, Mssachusetts, Aiken, South Carolina and Isleton, California also claim title to Asparagus Capital of the World, but as far as I’m concerned, there can’t be enough places to grow asparagus, as you’ll agree when you see the positive claims of this delicious veggie!
Asparagus is a spring perennial plant which was once considered to be in the onion family—a very healthy food family. Its usual growing season is from April to June when the buds begin to open except when grown under tunnels which extends the season from February to November. It is sometimes referred to as sprout grass or sparrow grass. The word for asparagus in Turkey means “bird can’t land” due to the flexible vertical structure of the plant.
It is one of the oldest known vegetables— pictured in a 3000 BC Egyptian frieze and used by the Romans and Greeks. French monks cultivated it during the middle ages and its points d’amour (love tips) were prized as an aphrodisiac. There are numerous festivals in Europe, Canada, and the US which celebrate asparagus season. Native to Europe, northern Africa, western Asia, it was introduced in the New World about 1850.
White asparagus in particular is considered a great delicacy in Europe and surrounding countries. It stays white because shoots are covered with soil—“earthing up”—to stop photosynthesis and produce a more tender, less bitter plant.
Purple Italian asparagus is higher in sugar and lower in fiber than green asparagus.
Asparagus grows well in high saline soil which discourages weeds and many other crops. It is often grown with tomatoes which repel the asparagus beetle. In turn, asparagus repels root nematodes harmful to tomato plants. It retains low levels of pesticides.
It is 93% water, low in calories and sodium and a good diuretic. It is high in calcium, manganese, magnesium, zinc, iron, potassium, phosphorus, copper, selenium, chromium, beta carotene, the bioflavonoid rutin, the antioxidant glutathione, an amino acid asparagine, fiber, protein, Vit C, Vit E, Vit K, Vit B1/thiamin, Vit B2/riboflavin, Vit B3/niacin. Vit B6/pyridoxine, and Vit B9/folic acid/folate.
It should be stored away from light in a cool place and can be eaten raw except for the lower stalks on white asparagus which must be peeled.
To prepare asparagus, wash & gently bend to break away the woody stalk from the tender upper stalk or cut with a knife to save more of the upper stalk. Tips may hold dirt and can be swished gently in a bowl of water.
It is better but more challenging to cook stalks standing upright. This preserves nutrients in the tips. Only a short boil or steam is needed. I usually boil water & pour over asparagus in a glass container & let stand covered for 9-10 minutes before discarding water. This gives a good al dente result.
One last comment:
During digestion, asparagusic acid in asparagus is broken down by an enzyme into sulfur-containing compounds. About 2/3 of people notice a distinct aroma in urine 15 to 30 minutes after digestion. The other 1/3 of the population, due to genetics, lack the olfactory receptors to detect the smell.
The smell is unique, usually not unpleasant, but Marcel Proust may have been stretching things a bit by comparing it to “a flask of perfume."
May is National Asparagus Month and May 17 is Asparagus Day. Oceana County, Michigan proclaims itself Asparagus Capitol of the World and hosts the National Asparagus Festival with its own Asparagus Queen. Hadley, Mssachusetts, Aiken, South Carolina and Isleton, California also claim title to Asparagus Capital of the World, but as far as I’m concerned, there can’t be enough places to grow asparagus, as you’ll agree when you see the positive claims of this delicious veggie!
Asparagus is a spring perennial plant which was once considered to be in the onion family—a very healthy food family. Its usual growing season is from April to June when the buds begin to open except when grown under tunnels which extends the season from February to November. It is sometimes referred to as sprout grass or sparrow grass. The word for asparagus in Turkey means “bird can’t land” due to the flexible vertical structure of the plant.
It is one of the oldest known vegetables— pictured in a 3000 BC Egyptian frieze and used by the Romans and Greeks. French monks cultivated it during the middle ages and its points d’amour (love tips) were prized as an aphrodisiac. There are numerous festivals in Europe, Canada, and the US which celebrate asparagus season. Native to Europe, northern Africa, western Asia, it was introduced in the New World about 1850.
White asparagus in particular is considered a great delicacy in Europe and surrounding countries. It stays white because shoots are covered with soil—“earthing up”—to stop photosynthesis and produce a more tender, less bitter plant.
Purple Italian asparagus is higher in sugar and lower in fiber than green asparagus.
Asparagus grows well in high saline soil which discourages weeds and many other crops. It is often grown with tomatoes which repel the asparagus beetle. In turn, asparagus repels root nematodes harmful to tomato plants. It retains low levels of pesticides.
It is 93% water, low in calories and sodium and a good diuretic. It is high in calcium, manganese, magnesium, zinc, iron, potassium, phosphorus, copper, selenium, chromium, beta carotene, the bioflavonoid rutin, the antioxidant glutathione, an amino acid asparagine, fiber, protein, Vit C, Vit E, Vit K, Vit B1/thiamin, Vit B2/riboflavin, Vit B3/niacin. Vit B6/pyridoxine, and Vit B9/folic acid/folate.
It should be stored away from light in a cool place and can be eaten raw except for the lower stalks on white asparagus which must be peeled.
To prepare asparagus, wash & gently bend to break away the woody stalk from the tender upper stalk or cut with a knife to save more of the upper stalk. Tips may hold dirt and can be swished gently in a bowl of water.
It is better but more challenging to cook stalks standing upright. This preserves nutrients in the tips. Only a short boil or steam is needed. I usually boil water & pour over asparagus in a glass container & let stand covered for 9-10 minutes before discarding water. This gives a good al dente result.
One last comment:
During digestion, asparagusic acid in asparagus is broken down by an enzyme into sulfur-containing compounds. About 2/3 of people notice a distinct aroma in urine 15 to 30 minutes after digestion. The other 1/3 of the population, due to genetics, lack the olfactory receptors to detect the smell.
The smell is unique, usually not unpleasant, but Marcel Proust may have been stretching things a bit by comparing it to “a flask of perfume."
