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RSPBRHGVS:
Trite colors
Aside from the luscious deep pinks of
ripening strawberries, the true colors of
Spring are the clear pale greens of newly
emerging leaf lettuces, peas, artichokes
and asparagus. Green peas are a treat,
especially when they’re wrapped in lettuce
and gently steamed in a few tablespoonsful
of water Artichokes are going to get a col
umn of their own. This week, the topic is
asparagus
The first asparagus of the season is
popping up in gardens, vacant lots and gro
cery stores all over town. Since its genus
has its roots in herbs and vines from the
African desert, asparagus is an exceptional
ly hearty plant Left to its own devices, wild
asparagus prefers to grow next to walls or
fence posts. I have had more than one meal
of wild asparagus culled from around the
tombstones in the cemetery next to the
UGA art school and the train tracks
beyond.
Asparagus is more rare and expensive
than other vegetables because of its meth
ods of cultivation and harvest. While let
tuce and peas are annuals that rapidly
mature and are easily tended, asparagus is
a perennial. It requires a plot of earth sole
ly devoted to its establishment and three
years of growth before the first full harvest.
The portion of the asparagus plant we eat
is the hand-harvested immature shoot that
only appears for a few weeks each year. As
soon as the weather warms up, the aspara
gus stalks bolt, turning from compact
stems into tall, fern-like plants almost
overnight. In the fall, the female plants
have red berries.
Farmers and otSer growers of aspara
gus prize the male pu nts over the female
because they live longer«: nd tend to have a
heavier yield. As asparagus plants age,
they produce suc-
ceedingly larger
spears. I had the
opportunity to tend
a very well-estab
lished acre of
asparagus for four
years. By the third
year of weeding,
fertilizing and tend
ing to these plants,
I noticed that the
female asparagus
spears were
rounder and thin
ner. while their
male counterparts
tended to be thick
er and more... um,
male-looking
Whatever its sex, fresh asparagus tastes
good. Freshness is of paramount impor
tance when choosing asparagus in the mar
ket. The asparagus tips should be tightly
closed and colored lovely lavender, with
straight, firm, green stalks. After asparagus
sits in the store awhile, it turns khaki green
and the tips begin to open and eventually
fail off.
Once purchased or harvested, aspara
gus needs to be cooked and eaten as soon
as possible. If it must be stored, trim the
bottom ends and store the asparagus
upright in the fridge in a straight-sided con
tainer with an inch or so of water in it. Plan
on cooking about half a pound, or eight-10
medium stalks, per person. This sounds
like a lot. but once it’s cooked, fresh
asparagus is as easy to eat as popcorn.
Prepare the
asparagus by first
giving it a bath in
tepid water. This
refreshes it and
also removes any
grains of soil that
may be caught in
the scales of the
stalks or the tips.
Clean carefully so
that the delicate
tips are not dam
aged. Next, the
whitish ends of the
stalks should be
snapped off.
Perfectly fresh
asparagus snaps at
the base at the point where the above
ground and underground parts of the stalk
meet. With very tender asparagus. I pare
off the tiniest part of the bottom end and
cook the whole thing.
Some people choose to peel the aspara
gus stalks so that they cook in the same
amount of time as the tips. I only peel the
stalks when the outer layer comes off with
the snapped end. More peeling gets done
at the end of asparagus season, when the
spears tend to be more fibrous and stringy.
While the asparagus is being prepared,
take the tallest, thinnest non-reactive pot
you own and put it on the stove with three
or four inches of water in it. After adding a
little salt to facilitate the process, set the
water to boll. There are special pots made
for cooking asparagus: they are basically
tall, straight-sided cylinders with a top and
a bottom. Since the stalk of the asparagus
is much more dense than the tip, it takes
longer to cook. Asparagus is put upright
into the pot so that the stalks boil while the
tips steam. The size of the stalks deter
mines the length of cooking time. Cooking
times vary from three to five minutes for
slender spears to five to eight minutes for
medium and 10 to 12 minutes for large
spears Asparagus is done when it releases
its fragrance into the air and the stalks are
tender-crisp and bright green in color. If
asparagus is cooked too long, it assumes
the olive drab hue of the canned variety
For ease in handling, the asparagus may
be tied into a bunch with a piece of undyed
cotton string before it is cooked This
keeps the individual pieces upright while
cooking. It is also easier to remove from
the hot pot.
The traditional accompaniment for
asparagus is butter, to which any number
of seasonings may be added. Lemon is
especially nice — sesame seeds or oil.
parsley or parmesan are also old favorites
However you choose to serve It, fresh
asparagus is one of Spring's early gifts that
is truly a Joy to receive.
Maureen McGinley
MONDAY THURSDAY
11 3
At the BAR
tt« aturing lull dining; & He \ > r.igi s« i \ i<
MAllf.AIUTA MONDAYS
ALL MARGAR1TAS $2.50
. T(*|> TuedcUup
& A(( Tr|) Sfuif $2.50
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Wet Your Whistle Wednesdays
V,\A. Domestic Beers $1.00^
(ALL ON utwiUHWWi
ALL imPOAT \\ CO
ITT an can mwd uouom c?oo i
\ t h t- n s X be a turn (.) n I v
PIAGPOII MAY 7
NATION S CAPITAL AND FIRST AFRICAN-
AMERICAN WOMAN TO LEAD A MAJOR URBAN
CITY SPEAKS ON:
“WOMEN, LEADERSHIP, AND
VOLUNTEERISM”
MONDAY, MAY 12,1997 • 7:3(fPM
GEORGIA HALL, TATE STUDENT CENTER
• Reception to follow -
$2 STUDENTS w/ VALID UGACARO
$4 GENERAL ADMISSION
TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT TATE STUDENT
CENTER CASHIER’S WINOOW
i INiTi
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