It’s that time of year: Asparagus season! Recycla is very excited, as asparagus is one of those veggies she eats only in season — a time which is far too short in her humble opinion. During this short period, she will be serving up those distinctive green spears often, much to her husband’s delight and her children’s disgust.
Asparagus is an amazing vegetable and a sure bet nutritionally. Just six spears come with 2 grams of fiber, 10% of daily vitamin C, 20% of your daily vitamin A, and 30% of a day’s folic acid — and all for only 20 calories.
The ancient Greeks thought that asparagus could cure toothaches and prevent bee stings and there are those people today who ascribe this vegetable with aphrodisiac qualities. Whether or not that’s true is unknown, but feel free to conduct your own experiments.
Best of all, asparagus is ranked as one of the most consistently clean vegetables because it rarely contains pesticide residues. Another bonus: Asparagus usually comes wrapped in only a rubber band, which is reusable!
Cooking asparagus is easy. It can be roasted, steamed, or sauteed — just make sure you don’t overcook it. It should still be bright green and not olive green. Drizzle it with a little salt and olive oil or butter. A splash of balsamic vinegar or lemon also tastes great.
If you’re feeling really ambitious, you can grow your own asparagus with almost no effort. Just put the plants in the ground and wait. And wait and wait. And wait some more. The plants need a few years to grow and spread: You can harvest a few spears after one year, about half the year after that, and then all of the asparagus every spring after that. The plants multiply like rabbits and an asparagus bed can last for for years, possibly even decades. Recycla planted an asparagus bed and is eyeing her plants closely. She probably won’t harvest this year, but will definitely be able to next spring.
And yes, asparagus does make your pee stink. Everyone’s pee, in fact, but only about 40% of people can smell it.
If you haven’t tried asparagus, now’s the time to do it. And, for those of you who are already fans, let us know how you like to cook it.
Asparagus facts courtesy of the Nutrition Action Healthletter and Wikipedia.
Mmmm! One of my favorite foods! I like to roast mine–rinse, snap off the ends, lay in a baking dish (8X12) and drizzle with 1/4 cup of butter and a couple pinches of kosher salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Delish!
Interesting fact about the pee.
My two favourites are asparagus risotto and chicken wrapped round asparagus with parma ham wrapped round that, served with a great chunky tomato sauce.
Yummy
I like mine lightly steamed with home made hollandaise sauce.