I am so excited to be talking about asparagus this week, Tuesday, April 7, at 6:45 a.m. on THV11 This Morning.  For the first time in my gardening career, I am actually growing my own asparagus!  It seems like I’ve been waiting all winter on my crowns to arrive — and I almost have since they could not be shipped until they could be harvested AFTER WINTER WAS OVER! Hubby has added a whole new raised bed to our little garden just to house these little jewels.  

Why did I wait so long?

Asparagus is one of my very favorite vegetables.  Like many of you, I grew up on the canned stuff; I’m not sure I ever saw any actual raw asparagus until I was well into my teens.  We just didn’t have it available in Arkansas at the time.  Or, at least it wasn’t available in my really tiny home town with its one grocery store. 

My mom loved, loved the canned variety as long as it was really cold.  And it had to be topped with spoonful or two of Kraft mayonnaise.  That was pretty much my full knowledge of eating asparagus.  Oh, we had the proverbial asparagus, cheesy, Ritz Cracker-topped casserole that every genuine, homegrown Southern girl knows how to make because it’s in our genes (and our jeans as well after we eat it).  But I was never overly enthralled with that one.

Asparagus is one of our nutritional powerhouses. One serving of green asparagus is:

  • An excellent source of Vitamin K and folate (a B-complex vitamin).
  • A good source of Vitamin C.
  • A source of the antioxidants glutathione and rutin, precursors to Vitamin A. According to the National Cancer Institute, asparagus contains more glutathione than any other fruit or vegetable. This antioxidant plays an important role in the prevention of certain cancers and diseases, nutrient metabolism and regulating DNA and protein synthesis.
  • Summary of Nutrition Facts: Serving Size: ½ cup asparagus, cooked (90g) Calories 20 Calories from Fat 2 % Daily Value Total Fat 0g 0% Saturated Fat 0g 0% Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 13mg 1% Total Carbohydrate 4g 1% Dietary Fiber 2g 7% Sugars 1g Protein 2g Vitamin A 18% Vitamin C 12% Calcium 2% Iron 5%

Source

We often prepare fresh asparagus by roasting it in the oven at 400 degrees with just a little olive oil spray, chopped garlic and kosher salt for 10 – 15 minutes.  Or, Hubby may just grill it if we are already grilling dinner.

asparagus vert

 

Much of the asparagus you find in the supermarket are those very thin less-than-pencil size stalks.  While this is fine for inclusion in some of the pasta and rice salads and the ham and asparagus crepes that I make, the tastiest asparagus will be found with those larger thumb size stalks.  So, if you’ve been shying away from those thinking that they would be old or tough, fear no more.  Grab them while you can.  Trust me.

I’ll be talking about ways to prep and keep asparagus and a variety of asparagus-based dishes on Tuesday.  I hope you’ll join me.  Or set your DVR at least:)