CULINARY TIPS: ASPARAGUS!
By Jenny Hammer
It’s springtime -- the season for fresh, flavorful
asparagus. A member of the lily family, asparagus is
related to onions, garlic, leeks, and ornamental flowering
lilies. The spears that we eat today (asparagus officinalis)
are the domesticated version of wild asparagus (asparagi
selvatici) that flourished in the Mediterranean and Asia
Minor.
Early Egyptians grew asparagus and included the plant
in their art; a 3000 B.C. frieze depicts asparagus spears.
The vegetable was a tender delicacy reserved for royalty
and elites.
We are lucky California produces this delicious and
health-promoting vegetable and that its consumption
isn’t limited to the upper echelons of society. We’re also
fortunate to live near the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
area, which has traditionally been the signature location
for asparagus cultivation in California (check out the
Asparagus Festival in Stockton which occurs every
April). The rich, peaty soils of the Delta, along with our
climate, provide the perfect growing conditions for this
odd-yet-edible plant. Modern asparagus spears can rise
six to ten inches from their crowns in a single day and,
perennials, can continue to produce spears, season after
season, for as long as 20-25 years. After its introduction
in the 1850s, asparagus quickly became an important
crop -- first as a fresh vegetable and later as a canned
or frozen one. But why buy canned, frozen, or welltraveled
asparagus when fresh is available?
In recent years, as a result of pressure from imported
spears, the acreage in California that is planted in
asparagus has significantly declined. If we want to keep
local farmers continuing to provide a supply of crisply
fresh, flavorful spears each spring, higher demand is
essential.
By buying California-grown, you’ll get the best
quality and will support local people and local
economies. Read labels carefully, however; some
California farmers (one in Lodi, for example) put their
own label on spears that have “Product of Mexico”
stamped on the rubber bands. Check. Ask.
And be prepared to pay a little more for “CA Grown”
since the harvest of spears is very labor-intensive. They
must be cut, individually, by hand. Farmworkers --
those who harvest and those who prepare and pack