Asparagus: Everything You Need to Know to Buy it and Cook It

Asparagus used for health and wellness purposes traces back to before the birth of Jesus. The Greeks and the Romans were both enamored of asparagus for what they believed were properties within the vegetable that cured a number of health problems ranging from muscle and joint aches to toothaches. Asparagus is usually either white or green. The color is not determined by the variety of species, but rather by the cultivating process it has undergone. Blanched asparagus is white because it is grown beneath the soil, protected from the rays of the sun.

Photosynthesis helps to create the familiar green hue of the most popular types of asparagus eaten in America. You can purchase asparagus whole, without the tips or as just the tips themselves. When buying asparagus yourself, the best method is to go with fresh veggies. Asparagus in a can is fine if you are just looking to get the nutrients in them, but the taste will be significantly less. Fresh asparagus also puts the power of buying the best that is available in your hands.

Look for asparagus spears that show a uniformity of appearance. Higher quality in asparagus is directly related to uniformity of appearance. You want the straightest spears you can find, firm tips that are closed and a healthy coloring free from any discoloration. When your fresh asparagus is regularly displayed at the market with an accompanying musty odor, you are shopping at a site where the vegetable isn't properly stored. Another good way to determine bad storage habits is to take two asparagus spears and rub them together. Listen for a telltale crackling noise to indicate supreme freshness and proper storage.

Storage at home of canned asparagus means you can wait for years before opening up that can and cooking your spears. Fresh asparagus storage at home walks a much thinner line. If the quality of freshness is high, you can expect to store asparagus for maybe a week as long as you keep it wrapped in a damp towel. Can you freeze fresh asparagus? Again, a tricky proposition. Freezing asparagus is definitely doable and the result will be digestible, but you've got to keep in mind that the water content of this vegetable is remarkably high and so thawing is going to result in some limp phears.

A number of different options are available when it comes to preparing asparagus. One effective method is to place the asparagus spears upright in a wire basket that is then lowered into an asparagus kettle. This means of preparing asparagus leads to an efficient and easy cleanup process. Asparagus is more often steamed or boiled in a pot. A good tip is to tie up your various spears of asparagus with string. You can also pan sear asparagus but the vegetable does tend to get a little mushy. One method of preparing asparagus that many people overlook is to cook the peelings. Adding asparagus peelings to a homemade stock lends the stock a pleasant fragrance.

The nutrients found in asparagus that has made it a vegetable long looked to for providing health and wellness include folate, vitamin C, vitamin A and fiber. Keep in mind that the longer the period of time between picking and eating, the less nutritional benefits you will receive by eating it. Asparagus can quickly lose significant amounts of vitamin C, not to mention taste, over the course of just a few days.