ASPARAGUS MONTH

     Prized as both a vegetable and medicine, asparagus has been around since early times, due to its light and savory flavor and diuretic properties. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans cultivated asparagus and ate it fresh when in season and dried it for winter storage and use. The stately stalk is pictured on an Egyptian frieze dating to 3000 BC, as well as more modern works.  There is a recipe for cooking asparagus written in the oldest surviving book of recipes dating to the third century AD. The King of France, Louis XIV enjoyed it so much he ordered special greenhouses be built for growing it. Some time around the Middle Ages its popularity waned, but later reemerged as a favorite in the seventeenth century.

Asparagus is low in calories, a source of potassium, and its stalks are high in antioxidants.  It is also a very good source of dietary fiber, potassium, calcium, protein, vitamins A,B,C,E, & K, and a host of minerals that help maintain the our bodies. 

 Green asparagus is eaten worldwide.  A good source of vitamin C which helps the body produce and maintain collagen.  It also acts as a diuretic, and protects small blood vessels from rupturing. Its fiber content makes it a laxative, too.

Purple asparagus differs from its green and white counterparts, having high sugar and low fibre levels. It was originally developed in Italy. Since then, breeding work has continued in countries such as the United States and New Zealand.
White asparagus nicknamed "White Gold" in northern Europe, is not as bitter as the green variety and its color occurs because the plants are denied light while growing. White is a very popular in the Netherlands, France, Belgium, and Germany.  Annually, nearly 2/3 of the consumer demand is produced in this region. 
     Once planted, asparagus returns each year and will be ready to harvest and enjoy usually by the third season.  Planting tomatoes next to your asparagus helps to repel the asparagus beetle in your garden.  A well cared for asparagus planting will generally produce for about 15 years without being replanted.

Asparagus is truly a worldly dish whether it comes to the table as an appetizer or vegetable side dish.  The French often steam or boil their spears and top them with the likes of hollandaise sauce, butter, olive oil and Parmesan cheese.  Asian-style recipes call for stir frying cut up stalks and serving over rice or Cantonese style adding beef, shrimp or chicken to the dish.  A versatile ingredient, it is delicious in soups and stews, grilled, and even tossed raw in salads.  Fresh asparagus from the garden can be marinated and pickled, for enjoyment during the winter months.

     The crop is significant enough financially that is is celebrated around the world.  Asparagus Festivals are held every year in Stockton, CA, and Hart, Michigan, where they also have a parade and asparagus queen.  Northern Europe's largest producer in Worcestershire holds a week-long event in conjunction with the British Asparagus Festival every year involving auctions of the best crop and locals dressing up as spears of asparagus. The festival held in the Bavarian city of Nuremberg for a week in April honors the locally produced white asparagus.