Ten secrets of asparagus
All you need to know about this fresh spring favourite – tasty, tender asparagus.
1) More than 93 per cent of Aussie asparagus is grown in Cardinia, Victoria, about 65km south-east of Melbourne.
2) Most asparagus is delivered to the supermarket or greengrocer within 24 hours of being picked. That's a fast turnaround - eat it as soon as possible to retain its fresh flavour.
3) Asparagus is a signal of spring, and is usually available to buy between early September and March.
4) You can get green, white and purple asparagus. Green is the most popular, white is grown entirely in the dark and the purple has a sweeter, almost fruity flavour.
5) Got your hands on purple asparagus? Slice it and add raw to salads - cooking will dull the beautiful colour.
6) Keep asparagus fresh by chopping off the ends and standing upright in 1cm of water in a container in the fridge.
7) With the right weather conditions, asparagus will grow up to 2cm per hour.
8) Don't throw away the lower ends of stalks - peel off and discard fibrous threads and add stalks to stock for risotto.
9) Pickle asparagus and store in the pantry to enjoy year-round. It's perfect for pickling, because it keeps its crunch, and can be customised with chilli and herbs.
10) You'll get a range of B-group vitamins in asparagus, including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and folate, which help your body convert food into fuel.
Fun facts
Asparagus became known as the food of kings after Louis XIV famously built special greenhouses just so he could enjoy it all year round.
Four asparagus spears give you 25% of your daily vitamin C.
Get 15% of your daily folate from just four spears - great for expecting mums!
Source
Taste Magazine — September 2014 , Page 118
Author
Alison Adams
