You can eat asparagus all year round, but the BEST season for asparagus, at least where I live in the Northeastern United States, is during the spring; March, April, May and June.
When those savory stalks start shooting up, I start cooking them!
The classic asparagus is green colored, but you can also get it in white and purple, too.
White asparagus is devoid of sunlight. It is grown completely under the soil (or covered with plastic) so it is never exposed to the sun. This prevents photosynthesis and the production of chlorophyll, and that keeps the spears white.
The purple variety is most common in Italy and the UK, but you can find it in most specialty markets or local farmer’s markets.
I like the classic green. It’s totally delish and very easy to prepare. Simply snap off or trim the the fibrous/woody stem (2-3 inches from the bottom), and steam, blanch, saute or roast.
You can have a yummy veggie dish ready in 10 minutes or less, depending on the thickness of the stalk. A very thin stalk cooks in 2-3 minutes. The larger thicker stalks take a bit longer, or about 7-10 minutes.
Here’s an easy recipe for you. Enjoy!
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- Sea salt
- Trim the bottom of the asparagus (about 2-3 inches).
- In a frying pan, heat oil on medium high heat.
- Add asparagus and sea salt.
- Cover and steam with the oil for 2-3 minutes or until bright green.
- Uncover, add garlic, and continue cooking until the stalks reach desired tenderness.
Andrea Beaman is an internationally renowned Holistic Health Coach, Natural Foods Chef, Speaker, Herbalist and best-selling author. Named one of the top 100 Most Influential Health and Fitness Experts, she is also a recipient of the Natural Gourmet Institute’s Award for Excellence in Health-Supportive Education and a Health Leadership award from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Since 1999, Andrea has been teaching people how to harness the body’s own preventative and healing powers using food, herbal remedies and alternative medicine.
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