the asparagus thread

[Nithavela]

Most asparagus in the US is green, but fancier markets may have white (or purple).

Yeah, green asparagus is far cheaper here, as well. It's tastier, too, and easier to prepare.

To be clear, when I knock down asparagus, I'm talking about white asparagus (as are most germans). I actually had a very nice green asparagus dish last sunday.

 

[Benjamin Müller]

Is your asparagus white or green?

Green.

I'm not sure if I've ever seen white asparagus, and I think I've only seen purple in seed catalogs.

Is asparagus more of the 'trendy' vegetable among Germans. Certain health foods seem more trendy than they are worth here in America, like Kale and Chia Seeds.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Green.

I'm not sure if I've ever seen white asparagus

It's the same plant, but the spears are covered so it doesn't get sun. [Similarly, that's why cauliflower is white]
The white spears are grown a bit bigger, so they're a bit more... virile-looking

Is asparagus more of the 'trendy' vegetable among Germans.

I wouldn't know about 'trendy', but it's almost a harvest festival just for asparagus. In spring when it's in season, little kiosks sprout up just to sell the white asparagus, and it's all over menus at restaurants.

 

[Nithavela]

Green.

I'm not sure if I've ever seen white asparagus, and I think I've only seen purple in seed catalogs.

Is asparagus more of the 'trendy' vegetable among Germans. Certain health foods seem more trendy than they are worth here in America, like Kale and Chia Seeds.

I wouldn't call it trendy, since that asparagus thing has been going on for decades.

"Insanity" is the word I'd use.

 

[Chesterton]

I was kidding earlier, I think asparagus is okay. I do it oven-roasted in olive oil and butter, with a lot of garlic salt sprinkled on. I have to weigh in and say I think the white asparagus is better. Not just better, I think it's the best. Not just best, but...what's the word I'm looking for? Supreme! It's supreme. Yes, I am a White Asparagus Supremacist.

 

[eleos1954]

The asparagas season has come again!
Today we'll have asparagus!

Lucky you .... I would love to plant some however my understanding is takes two years before you can harvest .... long time to wait LOL

 

[Nithavela]

Lucky you .... I would love to plant some however my understanding is takes two years before you can harvest .... long time to wait LOL

It's also a pretty intensive operation, at least when you want white asparagus. And getting the asparagus out of the ground in one piece is also a challenge, as well as not easy on the back.

 

[jayem]

I don't know if I have. As someone with no sense of smell.. most vegetables taste the same to me. If it has a good texture I might try some. I do love broccoli for this reason.

Same here. My olfactory sense has weakened as I've aged. But that might be a good thing as regards asparagus. Asparagusic acid is one of its chemical components. It's a sulfur compound--present in no other vegetable--which is excreted by the kidneys in up to 50% of people. And it gives the urine a strong, unpleasant odor. It's not harmful. But if you're an excretor, you can expect some smelly, sulfurous bathroom action an hour or so after chowing down on the green stalks.

 

[MehGuy]

Same here. My olfactory sense has weakened as I've aged. But that might be a good thing as regards asparagus. Asparagusic acid is one of its chemical components. It's a sulfur compound--present in no other vegetable--which is excreted by the kidneys in up to 50% of people. And it gives the urine a strong, unpleasant odor. It's not harmful. But if you're an excretor, you can expect some smelly, sulfurous bathroom action an hour or so after chowing down on the green stalks.

How much of a sense of smell do you estimate you may have lost? That is one thing that scares me, I know my taste buds will become less sensitive over time. With someone already born with no sense of smell, the little enjoyment I get from food might be gone.

It's only been a few years since I've become self-conscious about not farting whenever you want in public, lol. Strangely no one yelled at me about it until I hit my early 30s.

 

[jayem]

How much of a sense of smell do you estimate you may have lost? That is one thing that scares me, I know my taste buds will become less sensitive over time. With someone already born with no sense of smell, the little enjoyment I get from food might be gone.

It's only been a few years since I've become self-conscious about not farting whenever you want in public, lol. Strangely no one yelled at me about it until I hit my early 30s.

I’ve lost about 2/3 of my smell and taste. Some is age-related. But I think most is traumatic. 6 years ago, I tripped on carpeted stairs visiting my sister-in-law. I hit the left side of my head on the wall and I was down for the count. When I woke up, I was in the ER. The ER doc told me the CT scan showed some ribbons of hemorrhage in the left frontal and temporal lobes. I had no headache, no neck pain, and I could move my arms and legs normally, but I was admitted for overnight observation. The hemorrhagic areas had resolved on a repeat CT in the morning. But those regions are involved in processing smell and taste. Damaged neurons don’t regenerate. I’ve permanently lost some smell/ taste. But I can enjoy a good meal.

 

[durangodawood]

Asparagus is yum..... as are most foods.

 

[Chesterton]

.

 

[USincognito]

My dad came to really appreciate Spargel when he was assigned to Wiesbaden in the 60s. I don't rrecall it being much of a thing when we were assigned to a base in Bavaria in the early 80s. By the 90s, I was living in Dallas and when my parents came to visit, we went to a German restaurant and it just happened to be Spargelfest, so my dad was able to enjoy them one last time.

 

[Servus]

Asparagus for all of us.