Asparagus
In 2009 four rows of Asparagus was planted. Each row measures 300 feet long or the equivalence of 1/10th of an acre. Asparagus is a long lived perennial that has made its home in Nothern Climates for many years and there is nothing like tasting the first green or purple shoots that emerge in the spring.
This vegetable has an extensive roots system and does best when mulched with compost and manures. Once the Asparagus is established it is a battle to stay ahead of the weeds especially the grasses that love to invade a perennial planting such as this. Watering on a regular schedule if it is dry helps to maintain plant health as well a good production. Bashaw Valley Farm offers fresh picked Asparagus early spring through June. At the end of June we discontinue picking and allow the asparagus spears to fully develop into fronds that stand almost five feet tall. Weeding continues into the fall.
Healthful benefits
According to Wikipedia Asparagus is a low calorie, low sodium food that is a good source of folate and potassium. Many vitamins and minerals are found in asparagus and some of these are; Vitamins B6, A, C, E, K, calcium, magnesium and Zinc. Even chromium, a trace mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the blood streams into cells is found in Asparagus. Fiber is our friend and again asparagus comes through in this area as well. Asparagus is a great detox and anti-aging vegetable.
The beauty of this vegetable is that it can be eaten fresh or raw, steamed, grilled, pickled, boiled (would not recommend because of mushy texture) marinated or any other creative way.
So what is that smell…
Many people discover, as soon as 15 minutes, after eating asparagus that their urine has an “off odor.” After researching this on many different sites, and laughing out loud, findings show that the smell generated cannot be smelled by everyone. Apparently only 22-25% of the population actually even notices this phenomena when it happens. French novelist Marcel Proust famously wrote in 1913 that asparagus, “transforms my chamber-pot into a flask of perfume.”
According to WebMD during digestion, the vegetable's sulfurous amino acids break down into smelly chemical components in all people, and because they are “volatile” the odor wafts upward as the urine leaves the body. Only people that have the “asparagus smelling” gene will notice.
