Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis · Vegetable
2 varietiesTop 10 pairings
A spring vegetable: tender young shoots cut as they push up from the ground. Green spears are grassy and faintly sweet with a savoury, mineral depth; grown in the dark, they come up ivory-white and milder.
Picking a good onedrag
Just cutWoody & ferned
Market freshBuy itFirm, tips still shut. The everyday spear: roast, griddle, blanch. Snap or trim the base and go.
TipsClosed and firm, colour dulling
SnapBends a little, then breaks
Cut endSlightly dry rim, still pale
SmellNothing much at all
What you get from one
53%
Edible part
16 g · woody ends off
30 g
Weight each
each one
Keeping ittap a temperature
A domestic fridge holds it about 6× longer than the counter.
95–99%
Humidity
Damp, still, upright
Airflow