By
Master Gardener Marianne McNiel
I
love asparagus. As a child, I refused to eat this vegetable that my mother
loved, but after years of trying she would be happy to hear that it is one of
my favorite vegetables, along with those little cabbages called Brussels
sprouts. I can usually find asparagus at a local farmers' market from late
April into June. This year with the cold spring weather, you may not see it
until well into May. Here are some interesting facts about this great
cool-season vegetable.
Asparagus
has been eaten as a vegetable and used for medicinal purposes for thousands of
years. It is thought to be native to
Russia, the Mediterranean and British Isles.
It was first cultivated by the Romans, and the oldest surviving recipe
book has a recipe with asparagus! It was brought to America by the early
colonists, but it was not grown commercially until the 1850s.
Asparagus officinalis is a perennial
vegetable and one of a few vegetables that are monocots or single seed leaf
(cotyledon). Corn is also a monocot, but it is a grain and not a vegetable.
Asparagus used to be classified as a member of the lily family along with
onions and garlic. In 2003, the lily family was split and asparagus is now
classified in its own family, Asparagaceae. No matter how we classify it, it still tastes
great steamed, grilled or stir-fried.
Green,
purple and white asparagus are all grown in Pennsylvania. Purple asparagus
spears are a newer variety and white spears are produced by removing light from
the spears when they first appear. Our Pennsylvania farms produce about 500
acres of asparagus valued at $2.5 million dollars. However, Oceana County,
Michigan claims to be the Asparagus Capital of the World and the National
Asparagus Festival is held there every June.
Asparagus festivals are also held in several places in California.
Presently, the United States is the largest importer of asparagus, but
asparagus fresh from our local farm field is fresher and tastes best!
For
a farmer, asparagus is an investment crop because the plants are not fully
mature for 5 years, but the plants will last up to 20 years. Asparagus crowns will rise up as they grow
and exposed crowns will die. For this reason, asparagus is planted in trenches
or furrows that are 6 to 8 inches deep. Mature asparagus plants are harvested
for 6 to 7 weeks. The spears are cut when they are about 7 inches long and a
diameter of at least 5/16 of an inch. Select spears at your farm stand or
market with slight purple tips that are not wilted. Asparagus should be
refrigerated immediately after harvest. You can keep asparagus fresh in your
refrigerator in a moist towel or with the tips pointed up in a cup of cold
water. Spears will last 7 to 14 days in your refrigerator.
Asparagus
spears are loaded with nutrients. They
are a great source of fiber, folate and vitamins A, C, E and K. What about that smell after eating asparagus?
The smell is caused by our bodies converting asparagusic acid into
sulfur-containing compounds. Scientists have recently learned that all
individuals do not experience this strange odor after eating asparagus. It is
in our genes to either process asparagus a certain way and to be able to detect
the smell, the asparagus gene. So mind your mothers and eat that delicious
local asparagus. Find out if you have the asparagus gene!
Sources:
Asparagus Production, Penn State Extension:http://extension.psu.edu/business/ag-alternatives/horticulture/vegetables/asparagus-production
Michigan Asparagus and Festival:
Asparagus
and Urine Smell:
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