I’ll admit it, I’ve been obsessing over Asparagus. One of the first veggies to appear in Minnesota each year, these delicacies have a unique flavor that stand alone and plays well with others. These beautiful asparagus are also packed with powerful nutrition and their season is short, so let’s get right down to business.
Buy or Grow?
The cute little bundles of asparagus hanging out in their wading pools of water in the supermarkets can be hit or miss when it comes to taste and texture.
Tip: Always look for tight buds at the top; once the flowers start unfurling, a chemical to strengthen the plants gets released and makes for woody stalks.
Asparagus Comes from Where?
Recently there’s been a big shift in supermarket asparagus, so it more than likely comes from outside the U.S., namely Mexico and Peru. Between NAFTA and the California drought, it has been tough for U.S. growers. (I am not wading into political waters, just sharing what I’ve been reading.) “It is, you see, a uniquely labor-intensive crop to grow,” according to Cherie Watte, executive director of the California Asparagus Commission, in this interesting article, “75 percent of the production cost of asparagus derives from labor.”
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