(Image: Ecokarenlee)
Asparagus is now in season and to celebrate it’s fabulousness, the gorgeous green spears get an entire 31 days dedicated to them.
Yes, that’s right. May is Asparagus Month. But why does it deserve a whole month to it’s name? Here are a few reasons as to why the asparagus inspires such respect.
Speedy grower: An asparagus spear can grow 10 inches in a 24-hour period. 10 inches. So you can pick a new crop for dinner every night of the week.
Food of King: King Louis XIV of France was such a big fan of asparagus that he ordered special greenhouses to be built especially so he could munch on his favourite veg all year round (he obviously hadn’t heard about going Easy On The Unseasonal).
Sweet treat: You might boil it, fry it, microwave it or munch it raw but in China the spears are candied and served as special treats. Sounds delicious.
Sulfur stink: Only 22% of us have the gene required to smell that strange pee smell post-asparagus munching. Whether this is a good or bad thing remains a mystery…
Asparagus inspires gentle thoughts: Or so said famous English essayist, Charles Lamb. Meaning that next time you’ve got a grump on, snack on a few asparagus spears and mellow out.
Fast food: These green spears cook up so quickly that Roman emperor Augustus coined the expression ‘faster than cooking asparagus’ when referring to a speedy action. Given it’s not a widely used phrase today, it clearly went out of fashion faster than cooking asparagus.
A brand new breakfast soldier: Dip it in an egg.
So if you love the stuff, you’ll probably love it even more now. If you hate it, well you can’t deny it has some pretty interesting history. If you’ve never tried these tasty spears before, then now is the time to give it a go. Happy Asparagus Month.
