Crop Spot: Asparagus

Well, it’s the end of May, and we’re on the tail end of asparagus season, but here in Kentucky you can still find it at most local farmers markets. That won’t last for much longer. A select number of vegetables and fruit are available, or at their freshest, for just a few weeks out of the year. Asparagus happens to be one of these. Typically harvested for 3 to 6 weeks in the spring, asparagus is quick to appear and disappear from markets, making it a thrilling time of the year for foodies. Those who prefer asparagus at its best flock to the markets and snatch up the thickest, most rigid of stalks. Some may want these fresh spears for the Vitamin B folate or high fiber content; others may want the asparagus for the taste. I for one, avoid it all together.

I haven’t had a great relationship with asparagus in the past. It was never one of our staples at home growing up, and my first real exposure to the veggie was a cold, jetlagged asparagus soup. Ok, maybe I was the one that was jetlagged, but the soup was not my friend. I’ve avoided asparagus since. Not actively though. It just doesn’t seem to be as prominent in my life as other vegetables, even in public settings where I encounter other vegetables I am not interested in. Despite my personal experience with asparagus, I can do research and perhaps learn to appreciate this unique crop.

Asparagus is believed to have originated from Europe and Northeast Asia, preferring maritime habits where soils are too saline for weeds and other plant life to compete. Traditionally, some brave growers would salt their asparagus fields to suppress weeds and feed the plant, however, this would render the soils unusable for most other plants for extended periods of time. It’s worth noting that saline-loving asparagus has a low sodium content.

Asparagus crowns are planted in the winter, and tender spears are harvested in the spring before they become woody and fibrous. It may take asparagus several years to produce harvestable spears. Newer plants produce shorter and skinnier stalks, while older plants produce the thicker stalks that many chefs prefer. White asparagus, known for its less bitter taste, is produced by covering young shoots with soil to prevent photosynthesis from beginning and turning the stems green. As the shoots grow, more soil is added so that the whole stalk will be white when harvested. Purple asparagus is also available in markets and is quite the opposite of green asparagus with its higher sugar content and low fiber levels.

Since we now know a little about the history and cultivation of asparagus, let’s look at some recipes. When googling asparagus recipes, many recipes appear to use asparagus steamed, roasted, grilled, or sautéed. Asparagus can also be eaten raw. None of the recipes seemed exciting or interesting enough for me to try. So, I asked around, and KHC resident chef Bethany gave me a neat recipe for an asparagus tart which I will include at the bottom of this way too long writeup on asparagus. But first, I decided to turn to a legend who has been receiving a lot of attention recently and see what she had to say about asparagus.

In an episode of The French Chef titled “From Tip to Butt”, Julia Child gave the audience her tips to keep asparagus fresh: trimming stems slightly, placing stems in a pot with an inch of water, covering with plastic, and placing in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To prepare the asparagus for cooking, most recipes, in the 1960s and now, suggest breaking off the bottom of the stem by bending until it snaps at a more tender spot. She pointed out that when snapping is done, half of what you paid for is being thrown away. Instead, you should peel. Using a knife, cut off ¼ of an inch at the bottom and then peel up to about 2 inches from the where the tip starts. She recommends buying the fattest spears you can for easy peeling. After peeling and washing well, tie the asparagus in bundles with 2.5 inch diameters. Tie with string towards the top and bottom making sure the tips are even and together. Place the bundles in 6 quarts of “rapidly boiling” water, and salt the water. Boil for 5 to 6 minutes until the bundle of spears has a slight drape when lifted. Julia serves the asparagus with an orange hollandaise, but she also praises letting the “exceptional” taste of the asparagus shine by serving hot with only lemon juice and salt.

Julia Child’s recipe and technique seem simple enough that I might try her way and see if the “shining” taste can win me over. I believe I would enjoy Bethany’s asparagus tart recipe more since it’s not just asparagus, but I don’t know if my cooking skills are up to the task. We will end this deep, but also shallow, dive into asparagus with her recipe below and the link to a video of Bethany making this tart: https://fb.watch/dcOVM948MV/

Asparagus Tart

• 1 lb cream cheese, softened
• 1 C unsalted butter, softened
• 1⁄4 C chopped fresh chives
• 1⁄4 C chopped fresh chives
• 1⁄2 C chopped parsley
• 1 head garlic
• 13-15 medium asparagus stalks, trimmed
• 1 puff pastry sheet
• 1 egg
• 3 T water
• Salt and pepper, to taste