Are you casting asparagus on my cooking?

Are you casting asparagus on my cooking? Curly Howard

The asparagus is a member of the lily family, first cultivated in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor around 3000 years ago. In Rome for the Caesars, it was frozen in the Tiberian Alps and run by chariot to be served at the feast of Epicurus. The ancients prized it for its unique flavor, supple texture and medicinal qualities: it is especially useful as a diuretic for kidney and bladder health, as well as strengthening capillary walls to improve heart health. Its importance to cuisine began as far back as Alexander the Great; the Persian word asparag means sprout or shoot. By the time of Cato it was cultivated profitably; Roman emperors had slaves running ice from the mountains to keep it chilled then load it onto the fastest boats of their asparagus fleets for fetching it for feasts as well as trading purposes. It is still known as the food of kings – Louis XIV had special greenhouses erected so he could enjoy it year-round. In Europe it is most popular white, which is created by etiolation, the process of depriving the shoots of light. The stalks are covered by soil as they grow to keep out the light necessary to produce chlorophyll and keep the stalks pale and tender. Modern cultivars include violet, purple, pink and many shades of green. The shoots are usually first cut in the 3rd year of growth at about 6-10 inches, cut at ground level to insure the health of the plant and its successful harvest for years to come. Enjoy!

“You needn't tell me that a man who doesn't love oysters and asparagus and good wines has got a soul, or a stomach either. He's simply got the instinct for being unhappy highly developed.” H.H. Munro

Noted Festivals include:
http://www.asparagusfest.com/
http://www.nationalasparagusfestival.org/
http://www.empirechamber.com/