Asparagus
The most anticipated harbinger of warm weather is the season’s first asparagus. When soil temperatures reach 50 degrees, the slender shoots emerge from the ground, leaving no doubt that spring has arrived.
The word asparagus stems from the Persian word asparag, or sprout. The plant has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years, and the people of Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire used asparagus medicinally, for preventing bee stings and soothing toothaches. The vegetable thrived all over the Eastern Mediterranean for hundreds of years, finally making its way to France during the reign of Louis the XIV, who loved the tender stalks so much that he had greenhouses built just so he could eat asparagus out of season. Asparagus arrived in the US along with the European immigrants of the 19th century. Today, California leads the nation in asparagus production; the marshy conditions of the Sacramento Delta are perfectly suited to the labor-intensive crop.
Prized for their tender, edible stalks, asparagus spears are actually the shoots of a perennial plant that is a member of the lily family. Growing asparagus is a long and arduous process, which explains why it can sometimes be expensive. Even on large commercial farms, workers hand-harvest each spear, and it takes two or more years for the first asparagus to appear after its seeds are sown.
Asparagus comes in hues of green, purple and white. Though green is the most common color in American markets, 55 percent of asparagus around the world is white. Harvested from the same plants as green asparagus, white asparagus has simply been deprived of sunlight. The lack of light prevents the production of chlorophyll, blanching the stalks. Asparagus can be sheltered from the sun by either mounding soil over the emerging shoots or suspending thick black plastic over the crop’s rows. Though white asparagus is tougher than its green counterpart, it also has a more delicate flavor.
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Recipes with Asparagus
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Goat Ricotta and Asparagus SaladKim Alter, Nightbird |
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Green Garlic SoupDavid Kurtz, Homage |
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Chochoyotes in Spring Salsa Verde with Asparagus, Spring Peas, and Goat CheeseSophina Uong, Mestiza Taqueria |
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Grilled Asparagus with Meyer Lemon Brown Butter and Parmigiano ReggianoMatt Davidson, Pizzeria Delfina |
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Articles about Asparagus
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May 02, 2014Slideshows: Asparagus and EggsTake a virtual tour of Zuckerman’s Farm and Rolling Oaks Ranch on our “Spring Frittata Tour.” |
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March 14, 2014The True Cost of AsparagusFree trade has made asparagus a year-round delicacy in the United States. But at what price? |
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March 19, 2010A Sure Sign of SpringWhen asparagus hits the farmers market every spring, it can seem a little like a tornado. Between late February and mid-May, between 60,000 and 80,000 pounds of this vegetable arrive at the Ferry Plaza. |
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March 17, 2006Stalking AsparagusWe love it for its tender taste and its symbolism of spring. Learn more about this slow growing and labor intesive crop. |
About CUESA
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