I know that asparagus are cultivated and sold in various farmers’ markets – especially in my town, Athens, they are very popular these days. But, the flavor is not at all the same as the ones you can find on the mountains.
Harvesting asparagus is not an easy process because they grow amongst thorny bushes. Also, when you cut them, you should pay attention to harvest the fresh ones, not the woody ones. The latter are not edible.
Once you take them home, place them in a wet napkin and in the fridge. They can stay in the fridge for a week, there is no problem. Once you are ready to cook them, take them out, cut the wooden edges and clean them with a lot of water.
My grandmother used to say that in the old days, mothers used to give asparagus water to daughter-brides before getting married as a means of catharsis.
Asparagus is a highly nutritious vegetable. It has a lot of vitamins A, B, C, E, K, iron, calcium, proteins. It is a natural diuretic and helps in diets.
In my home we usually eat them like a salad with lemon and olive oil. Place them in boiling water for 5-10’ and they are ready to eat. The water can be consumed separately in a glass with lemon as it is easy and tasteful to drink.
People use asparangus in various recipes, like omelets, utilize them in sauces for spaghetti and so on. Whichever recipe you chose, asparagus will not let you down!
Enjoy!