By: Jenny C. Kim

I didn’t start eating asparagus until I came to Canada. In fact, I didn’t even know what it was! Now that I’ve discovered the wonderful goodness of the vegetable, those green “Skinny Trees” – as I call them – are in my fridge at all times (in season).

The best season to buy and eat asparagus is spring. Crops are harvested from February to June, with April being the prime month. Whether you choose to buy the Green kind, White, Violet/Purple, or Wild, make sure you are buying them fresh.

Buying

When at the produce section of your grocery store, make sure to look for firm, straight, smooth, rich green stalks with tightly-closed tips. Seeing ridges in the stems or a dull green colour means they are old. The stalks (the hard body portion) shouldn’t be dry at the bottom end, or appear limp. If you want to be extra picky, make sure to choose stalks that have a uniform thickness in the bunch for an even cooking time.

Storing

When you take the asparagus home, don’t wash it before storing. Trim the ends and stand them upright (spears up) in a jar or bowl with about half an inch of water inside. Cover with a plastic bag or wrap, and store refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Fresh cooked asparagus is yummy-in-my-tummy delicious. Below is my own recipe for cooking simple asparagus as a side for my dinner.

1. Take a frying pan or shallow pot that has enough room for about inch of water. Cut off the bottom inch or so of the asparagus and wash it well. Put the heat at about ¾, as to not allow the water to boil – you just want the water to steam. When the water starts steaming, throw in the Skinny Trees for about 5 minutes.
2. Dump all the water out of the pot/pan, and put the pan back on the stove and add a couple teaspoons of butter. Season with a pinch of pepper and sea salt (or whatever seasoning salt you’d like), and when the butter starts melting, take a spatula and move the asparagus around a bit. Be careful with them, as cooked asparagus become fragile. Try picking them up from one end and putting them in the other end of the pan/pot.
3. Turn the heat off after about 2 minutes, and serve with yummy meals like grilled chicken, boiled fish, steak, or rice. Enjoy!

*For a yummy Penne with Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes recipe, click here*