The Age of Asparagus

Envision me singing, “This is the dawning of the Age of Asparagus…” as I snap the ends off a pick-up-stick pile of bright spears, then toss them with extra virgin olive oil, rosemary salt, and pepper. It’s my foodie mom version of The 5th Dimension’s “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In.” My kids love the silly lyrics as much as they love roasted asparagus (especially when wrapped in “Italian bacon” aka prosciutto). It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to the line, “Let the sunshine, let the sun shine in,” though, like any person connected with the seasons, it’s about time we all do that. Outside. With arms raised to welcome the warm rays.

I’m ready for actual spring… and asparagus! Y’all know I’m not a gardener, yet I’ve read about the arduous effort it takes to grow asparagus: determine location (one plant may grow for 15 years); assess the temperature (asparagus doesn’t like frost); ensure proper depth for seeds (so stalks grow vertically); wait 3-4 years if growing it from seed or plant “crowns” (the bud and root) to receive a crop the next year. Then care for the “ferns”, the post-season plant that ensures the next year’s harvest. Whew!

I’ve also heard generational stories of Idahoans foraging for asparagus. Though not native to North America, asparagus once grew “wild” alongside Idaho’s highways and in ditches. As a budding forager myself, every year I intend to go out looking. But where and when to begin? What am I looking for? How to cut the stalks? Like morel hunting, I dare not ask anyone to take me (it’s considered rude to ask seasoned foragers to divulge their prized locations). An internet search has shed some light on these questions. I need to commit to exploring and find a way to entice my kids to come, too. Surely, our revered spring veggie will taste better after a day of wandering through meadows…and sunshine!

I’ve already welcomed asparagus into this spring’s menu, pairing it with pantry items like wild rice and freezer foods like elk roast and morels. Thus far, I’ve relied on grocery stores for their commercial supply. Asparagus is one of the top 20 crops worldwide, so it’s easy to buy green, purple, and white asparagus year-round and raised in China, Western Europe, Mexico, and Peru. But that’s neither very seasonal nor harmonious with nature. And there is so much biproduct waste from growing asparagus commercially – for which scientists are researching remedies.

Regardless, I love asparagus for its high nutritional value. Check this out: one cup of asparagus offers 67% of an adult’s daily folate requirements as well as other B-vitamins, vitamins C, E, K, iron, choline, potassium, zinc, and more! It’s a “prebiotic” food, which means its nondigestible fibers (specifically inulin and polyphenol) help diversify the gut microbiome; it’s particularly rich in antioxidants, like quercetin and kaempferol; it boasts phytonutrients (a fancy word for “plant nutrients”), including lutein and zeaxanthin, which support healthy vision, and beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A to support skin, cognition, immunity, and more.

Are you singing asparagus’s praises now, too? It’s in season through mid-June. Reach out to local growers…or seek “harmony and understanding” through your own foraging.

REFERENCES

University of Minnesota Extension: Jersey asparagus varieties being discontinued - next steps

University of Minnesota Extension: Growing asparagus in home gardens

Idaho Preferred, Idaho asparagus

USDA food database, asparagus