It’s that asparagus time of year. Spring is when the early asparagus buds start poking their heads through the last vestiges of winter’s snow as if each sprout were thumbing its nose at “old man winter,” and saying, “I’m back, despite all you could do to stop me.”
This member of the lily family, related to onions and leeks, is the vegetable of hope because it not only comes back, but it also multiplies. After you plant an asparagus bed, the first few years’ harvests may not amount to much. But give it three or four years, and you’ll harvest more than you ever thought possible.
What’s more, you’ll find the perennial’s fern-like greenery gently swaying in the breeze above the grass in places other than your garden, because birds love asparagus seeds and propagate them widely.
Asparagus is a vegetable of hope in other ways. Believed to have been first cultivated in the Eastern Mediterranean area in 200 B.C., the ancient Greeks and Romans used it both as food and medicine. Medicinally, they may have used it for the wrong purpose – to ease toothaches and prevent bee stings – but they generally had the right idea, because asparagus is a powerhouse of healthy substances.
A serving of asparagus supplies vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, and folacin. It also contains a healthy portion of beta carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A, and the essential trace minerals copper, manganese, and potassium. What’s more, it has virtually no fat or cholesterol!
Asparagus makes a great spring garden plant, but you don’t have to wait until spring to enjoy it. In February U.S. growers begin shipping fresh asparagus from various states in the West, Midwest, and East and continue well into July. In the fall and winter, Mexican and South American asparagus is available in some U.S. stores. Chile and Peru have become important exporters of asparagus.
Asparagus can also be found frozen and canned. Although two basic types of asparagus, white and green, are cultivated, the latter is by far the most popular in the U.S. The white variety, which is cream-colored, is more fibrous and stronger tasting than the green. It is popular in Europe, but here is found mostly in gourmet food shops.
When shopping for asparagus, look for deep green stalks with purplish tips. The spears should be firm, yet tender. Pencil-thin stalks with tightly closed tips are usually tender and need a minimum of blanching. Avoid asparagus with wilted or partially open tips; two signs of stalks that are past their prime for eating. Ideally, you should eat fresh asparagus the day you purchase it. But when properly refrigerated, it will last four to five days. To store at home, wrap the vegetable in paper and store it in the refrigerator’s crisper; cold is needed to preserve tenderness, sweetness, and nutrition as much as possible.
To prepare asparagus, wash in cool running water and rinse thoroughly. Next, snap off the tough, woody stem. You can boil, steam or microwave the vegetable; however you cook it, do so quickly. Asparagus should be bright green and crunchy, not limp and discolored.
Try the recipe below to celebrate spring with the “vegetable of hope.”
Asparagus with Sesame and Orange
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch diagonal pieces
¼ cup orange juice
½ teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon fresh grated orange rind
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Preparation:
In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat, add the garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds. Stir in the asparagus, orange juice, and honey. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the asparagus is crisp-tender. Do not overcook.
Remove the cover and continue cooking over medium heat while slowly stirring in the cornstarch mixture to lightly thicken the sauce; you might not use all of it.
Once the sauce has thickened, stir in the sesame seeds, orange rind and pepper. Serves 4.
Authors: William Scarpa, Jr., MD & Marianne Ferguson, RD
Marianne Ferguson is a dietitian in Jefferson, NC, and Dr. William Scarpa is a cardiologist at Heart & Vascular – Ashe. To request an appointment with Dr. Scarpa at Heart & Vascular – Ashe, call (828) 264-9664 or visit https://apprhs.org/heartcenter/. Dr. Scarpa is located inside Ashe Memorial Hospital at 200 Hospital Avenue, Segraves Hall 1, in Jefferson, NC.
Read more articles by cardiologist William Scarpa Jr., MD and Marianne in their monthly column, Healthy Living in the High Country. The column is available on our website and is published on the first Wednesday of the month in the Ashe Post & Times, Avery Journal, and the Watauga Democrat.
Share this page
