Asparagus
Growing and Eating Asparagus
Author’s Name Date
Did you know that asparagus is a member of the Lily family? I sure didn't.
Eat
A 5.3 ounce serving of asparagus provides 60% of your recommended daily amount of Folacin. Folacin is necessary for blood cell formation, growth, and prevention of liver disease. It has been shown to play a significant role in the prevention of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida that cause paralysis and death in 2,500 babies each year.
In addition to folacin, asparagus are incredibly nutrient rich, high in folic acid, potassium, fiber, thiamin, and vitamins, B6, A, & C. They contain no fat nor cholesterol.
Cook
Virginia Willis’ Easy Asparagus Lemon Salad
“This salad is completely raw, which is something really fresh and different. The lemon gives the salad real punch, the pine nuts a nice fatty richness, and the parmesan rounds it all out with a lovely sharp mouthful of umami.”
Bon Appétit Y’all!
Virginia Willis
Recipes from the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board
Grow
Asparagus likes sandy-ish soils, and can grow 10 inches in a 24-hour period under ideal conditions. After harvesting, asparagus grow into fern-like plants, producing red berries. A healthy asparagus plant can produce for 15 years. In the Spring, plant asparagus from mid-January until mid-March, and in the Fall/Winter, plant during the moths of November and December.
Asparagus is a perennial crop, which means it will come back without replanting. They say south central Georgia is about as South as you can get and still grown asparagus. The variety of asparagus most often recommended for Georgia is Mary Washington.
Asparagus plants need several years of growth before they can tolerate being harvested. The one year-old fall-planted crowns are not to be harvested the following spring. Harvest three-year-old plants lightly, about every one-to-two weeks. Harvest four-year-old plants for two to three weeks. Harvest five year old or older plants four to five weeks.
Pick a sunny, well-drained spot for your permanent bed. Plant the crowns by draping the roots over a heavily composted mound.
Then cover the crowns with two or three inches of loamy soil. Rows should be about three-to-four feet apart and the plants should be about one-to-one-and-a-half feet apart on the rows. And here're directions on planting asparagus from seeds. It's very important the asparagus area be kept weed free.