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[[Category:Edible gardening]]
[[Category:Edible plants]]
[[Category:Culinary vegetables]]
[[Category:Perennial vegetables]]
[[Category:Lilies]]

'''Asparagus officinalis''' is a [[:Category:Perennial vegetables|perennial vegetable]] related to the [[:Category:Lilies|lily]] family, grown for its edible spring shoots, which are known as '''asparagus'''.

==Growing asparagus==
Asparagus is a [[perennial]] which takes two to three years to establish itself in the garden, but once established can produce for decades.  Remember to plan your garden carefully; as a perennial with somewhat delicate roots, once your asparagus patch has been established you will not be able to hoe around them or rotate them to avoid disease or pests.

Asparagus may be grown from seed but is more often grown from one-year-old roots known as '''crowns'''.  Start seeds in late spring or early summer, and thin the crowns or transplant to their permanent bed the next spring.  Remember that starting from seed means that you will not be able to harvest for an additional year.

To plant asparagus crowns, dig a trench six inches deep.  Space the crowns about twelve inches apart along the trench and cover them with an inch or two of soil.  Gradually fill in the rest of the trench as the asparagus shoots begin to appear, until the row is level with the surrounding soil or slightly hilled up.

Do not harvest any asparagus in the first year; it is more important to develop the root system so that the patch will continue to produce for many years.  The first year shoots will also be thin and spindly until the plants establish themselves.  Most gardeners do not recommend picking much, if at all, in the second year and only on a limited basis in the third year after planting (the fourth year if grown from seed).

Asparagus is [[dioecious]], having separate male and female plants.  Because male plants usually produce larger spears and do not set seed, most gardeners not interested in [[seed saving]] remove the female plants in the first year; you will recognize them by their red berries.  Modern all-male or mostly-male hybrids are the most commonly available varieties, so roguing out the females is no longer necessary unless you are working with heirloom varieties.

===White asparagus===
White asparagus isn't a special variety but ordinary asparagus that has been blanched in the garden.  Early in the season, as the first shoots emerge, either pile up soil or straw to cover them (the traditional method) or cover with a black plastic tent or tunnel or an upside-down flowerpot to exclude the light.  The result is 

==Harvesting asparagus==
After four years or so, the asparagus should be well established.  Begin picking as soon as the shoots appear, by cutting or snapping the shoot just below the soil surface.  As the season progresses, the shoots will grow smaller as the roots exhaust their energy reserves.  Stop harvesting when the spears are around pencil-thickness and let the rest of that season's shoots grow into ferns to feed the roots for next spring.

==Eating asparagus==
Asparagus can be served raw or cooked in almost any way--boiled, roasted, grilled, broiled, baked, or steamed--as long as it isn't overcooked.  Usually it is cooked simply, with a little salt and a little oil or butter, or paired with a creamy sauce.

To prepare, cut off or peel the bottom part of the spear.  The spear grows more tender and delicately flavored from the base to the tip; for the best flavor, trim off a significant chunk of the base and freeze it for use in stocks, stir-fries, or similar applications, leaving the fresh tips for fresh eating.

==Preserving asparagus==
Asparagus does not store well in a refrigerator or root cellar and should be eaten or preserved immediately after picking.  It can be blanched for 2-4 minutes and frozen; this does affect the texture and flavor but is perfectly suitable for cooked applications such as risottos and casseroles.  Asparagus spears can also be [[pickled]].

==Fermenting asparagus==
Asparagus, like any other vegetable, can be used to flavor [[country wine]], but this is not common.  Traditionally, asparagus was considered to pair poorly with wine due to the presence of methionone in the asparagus, which lends wine a grassy or green flavor.  It is often paired with unoaked white wine or beer.