The Asparagus

Asparagus is one of spring’s first vegetables. Million’s of pounds of asparagus are sold in the United States each year mainly from March through July but with commercial growers is available year round.

When purchasing, look for bright green, straight, fresh looking spears. Avoid wilted, soft, or woody spears. And try to get spears of similar thickness for even cooking.

First rinse asparagus in cold water and trim off the bottoms. For larger spears, you may want to peel them, similar to a carrot, which will help tenderize them. Raw asparagus, chopped into chunks, is fine for salads and vegetable trays. To cook asparagus, steam until tender, just about 5 minutes. Or roast in the oven or even lay whole spears on the grill.

Asparagus is rich in Vitamin A, C, K and the B-Complex vitamins. It is also full of potassium, folate, iron and zinc but low in fat and sodium. And 4 spears are only 15 calories!