Asparagus

The spring veggie that makes your pee stink! Tasty. Healthy. Magical. Did you know that you actually have to have a certain gene to be able to pick up on that pungent asparagus scent and only about 22% of the population have that gene. The smell comes from metabolic compounds that produce "ammonia and various sulfur-containing degradation products". 

The asparagus is a true springtime veggie. It has a very short growing season and generally shows up around Easter. Once upon a time folks use to use veggies and plants and herbs as medicines because there simply were no doctors. Almost anything that can be grown has a certain medicinal property. Asparagus is a diuretic. Asparagus can be traced back as far as 3000BC when Egyptians put the veggie's image on their architecture. Greeks and Romans would dry it out for the winter. After the Roman Empire fell, asparagus really wasn't mentioned as much until 1469 when French monasteries began to grow it. It slowly began making a comeback ~ 1538 England, 1542 Germany, 1850 U.S. In Europe "asparagus is the highlight of the foodie calendar". It is a bit high in price since the growing season is short ~ 23 April to 21 June. White asparagus is very popular in the Netherlands, Spain, France, Poland, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. 

Asparagus has a short growing season virtually everywhere which can make for some high prices. Around Easter time here in the United States, asparagus goes on sale in all the stores so it's not too terribly hard on the wallet and it's a bit worth it for the once-a-year treat. Asparagus is low in calories and low in sodium. Look for young spears since the bigger the spears get, the more woody they become and you find yourself chewing A LOT. Preparation is simple. Just wash and snap off the ends. Slightly bend them and they'll just snap. If you are growing asparagus, then they prefer a more saline soil. Traditionally, a bit of salt was actually added to the soil to keep weeds from growing.  White asparagus is also called "the royal vegetable", "white gold" or "edible ivory". The shoots are covered up with soil as it's growing so it's devoid of light and becomes blanched. White asparagus tends to be less bitter and more tender. Purple asparagus is higher in sugar and lower in fiber. Asparagus can be cooked a number of ways from grilled, steamed and stir fried AND it tastes great raw too!

Although asparagus looks like tiny, green fingers, give it a try. I think you might like it.