Green Asparagus imported

What Is Asparagus?

Garden asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) is a herbaceous perennial plant that is a member of the lily family. The slender spears with their pointed, scaled tips that are eaten are actually the young shoots of the plant. If left to grow, these become a giant, feathery fernlike plant that dies back in the fall.

Asparagus plants grow throughout the world. The biggest producers are China, Peru, Germany, and the U.S. They thrive in temperate climates where the ground freezes. The spring thaw and warming temperatures prompt the spears to emerge from the ground. These are harvested once they reach 6-8 inches tall and the thickest spears are a half-inch thick. They start out thin, get thicker as the season progresses, then taper off again; harvest stops when the spears grow only to the thickness of a pencil.

Growing asparagus does require patience and space. Several square feet are needed per plant, and it can take 3-4 years to produce edible spears once the seeds are planted. This lengthy wait and the short season has given asparagus an exalted status as a luxury vegetable, which accounts for its occasional higher cost at the market. However, it’s one of the easiest to prepare and cook.