Introduction:

Thickness isn't an indicator of quality or flavor; thick asparagus is just more mature than the thin variety and will take longer to cook. Look for bright green or violet-tinged spears with firm stems. Make sure the tips are closed and compact. When the bunch is squeezed, it should squeak. Avoid limp, rubbery stems and tips that are open and appear dry.

What to do with it…

Asparagus will hold for up to a week in the refrigerator. Like our fingers, asparagus have digits. Easily snap off the very bottom digits of the stems with your fingers and place the bunch in a jar or glass with a couple inches of water, much like we do with fresh flowers. Cover the tips loosely with a small plastic bag if you want to go all out here.

Why it is good for you…

Asparagus is a bright green, nutrient- antioxidants-packed superfood. It's a very good source of fiber, iron, folate, vitamins A, C, E, K, copper, as well as chromium. Chromium is a tracemineral that super charges insulin to better transport glucose from our bloodstream into our cells.

Vitamins it has…

Cool Idea & Recipes

News alert !

Intelligent sources say asparagus is done when you say it is !

If you like to grill food outside, you can easily cook up some amazing asparagus right next to your protien of choice. Just do this:

Form an aluminum foil tray just big enough to fit the asparagus. Drizzle with olive oil and shake on salt and pepper to taste.

Place the aluminum sheet and asparagus on a high flame for 4-6 min. Watch for olive oil flare ups!

No grill ?  No problem !

Prepare the asparagus in the same manner described for an outside grill above.

Did you know it ?

My life story…by Asparagus.

Once mature, asparagus plants can be cropped each spring for 15 years or more. But, in the first year, the spears start out the diameter of a pencil lead. The mini-spears eventually grow into a fern-like, waist-high canopy plant. It is this canopy which feeds the underground rhizomes with energy synthesized from the sun. The plants gain strength in year two. By the following spring, some of the spears are reaching the full diameter of a pencil and ready to harvest.