Asparagus is a perennial herb from the Asparagus family. Asparagus is known by all as a delicacy product and “the queen of vegetables”. How much do you know about Asparagus?
- Asparagus is a perennial crop. With proper care, it can grow in one place for up to 17-20 years and maintain excellent productivity.
- Asparagus has a very low-calorie content. One stalk of asparagus contains 4 calories. In addition, asparagus is 91% water. It also contains vitamins A, B, C, E, potassium, zinc, and folic acid, which makes asparagus an indispensable product for your beauty and health.
- We all know that asparagus comes in three varieties: white, green, and purple. White asparagus is grown underground without sun exposure to prevent chlorophyll from developing. White asparagus is sweeter and more tender but contains less fiber than green asparagus. As the stems germinate above the ground, they gradually turn green under the influence of sunlight. Purple asparagus are special varieties that contain a lot of natural sugars. Also popular are asparagus hybrids without anthocyanins, natural dyes. Asparagus of these varieties has delicate juicy lime-colored stems.
- The quality of the asparagus on the market in the European Union is monitored by the relevant authorities. By standards, the asparagus stalk should be straight and flat, 22 cm long and 16 – 26 mm in diameter, and the asparagus flesh should be tight and taut. Asparagus is divided into four quality classes, depending on the thickness of the stem.
- Asparagus grows very quickly. For 1 day, the stalk of asparagus can grow up to 10 cm, under favorable conditions.
- Asparagus, a dioecious plant, is divided into “male” and “female”. Farmers prefer to cultivate hybrid varieties of asparagus, which are 100% male due to their higher yields.
- Before harvesting asparagus crops, you need to be patient. After all, 3-4 years of careful care pass between sowing seeds and removing the first stems. Buying asparagus seedlings will significantly bring you closer to the coveted harvest – the first asparagus stalks can be harvested from 2-3 years of age. However, given that the asparagus plantation remains productive for up to 20 years, we believe that “the game is worth the candle.”
- Asparagus is a very delicate plant. The stems are harvested exclusively by hand, avoiding the sun’s rays, early in the morning and at sunset.
- In growing, asparagus is unpretentious. Asparagus is frost-resistant (tolerates even severe frosts) and drought-resistant. Cold winters only stimulate the growth of asparagus. She perfectly tolerates temperature changes. Only dense clay soils and soils with high groundwater levels are unsuitable for growing asparagus.
- From an adult plant of 3-4 years of cultivation, 40-50 shoots about 20 cm long can be removed. The yield of asparagus is 2.1 kg / m², in particularly successful years 3.5-4 kg / m².
