Asparagus is a spring crop vegetable native to Europe and Northern Africa. It is a part of the lily family (like onions and garlic) and will re-grow each spring from the same plant. It grows from 100-150cms tall, although it is normally harvested while still tender at about 6-8 inches. As the season wears on the leaves at the head of the stem will open to become a delicate fern-like branch which support small pale yellow flowers. It looks something like this:
Asparagus is a very good source of dietary fiber, protein and antioxidants, as well as a multitude of vitamins and minerals including B vitamins 1-6, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. It also comes in different colours (green, white and purple) although the nutrient content would not vary much, the white variety probably has fewer anthocyanins (plant colour compounds) which function as antioxidants in the body. Still very nutritious though! The white variety is grown by simply keeping a regular green plant away from the light as it grows. With no light, the chlorophyll in the plant never gets activated, thus no green pigment. Easy, though not quite as interesting to eat!
When I started my asparagus bed, I began with root balls that I had purchased from a local seed company. After it is planted, you must wait three years before harvesting any of the shoots, to allow the plant to become strong and healthy enough to withstand harvesting. It is also possible to start asparagus from seed, but you must wait even longer before the first harvest, and I'm just not that patient!! Asparagus is a good companion plant for tomatoes, as the tomato plants repel asparagus beetles. (I can't really see many people taking advantage of this combination since asparagus is planted once in a permanent bed and mulched while tomatoes are re-planted year after year in a bed that has been tilled.)One last interesting tidbit about asparagus (some of you may find this a little icky, I personally find it fascinating!) is the smell it causes in urine. This unique smell is caused by the breakdown, or derivatives, of asparagusic acid which is unique to young asparagus shoots. The effect on urine is remarkably fast, causing a distinct smell only 15-30 minutes after ingestion. Surprisingly, although all people's urine is affected by the smell, about 22% of people cannot smell the change in their urine. This is simply a genetic quirk, where the person lacks the autosomal gene required to pick up on the unique smell.
So there you are, a quick crash course on all you ever wanted (or didn't want!) to know about asparagus!
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