Thick or Thin Asparagus - Which is better?
Everyday for the next month our crew will be bending over to hand harvest 1/3 of an acre of Asparagus everyday or if we get blessed with high temperatures we may even have to harvest twice a day! Find these fresh 1lb bundles in the produce boxes for the next month, as a stand alone on our website or on our farmers' market table!
This variety called Millennium is a lovely and well respected by us smaller and large growers alike. The one major difference that separates us from all other asparagus is our stems are much thicker due to planting the crowns much deeper.
Peter Ferretti, professor of vegetable crops in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences says when it comes to asparagus, thicker is better.
"In supermarkets, shoppers will see thin spears of asparagus bunched and marketed as 'tender gourmet' style and in reality, spears that are larger than a half-inch in diameter are more tender and higher in soluble fibre and vitamins than the thinner spears."
Peter states that it is for two reasons that asparagus is marketed that way.
“First, restaurant chefs prefer thinner spears to create visually appealing recipes and garnishes. Second, asparagus growers in the United States and other countries are picking their crops earlier, in order to stimulate the plant to produce spears more quickly.”
Super interesting food for thought for anyone who may plant their own patch, which is always highly recommended since it’s a crop that can produce for 20-30 years. Creating your own personal food safety with perennials is always a great idea. This is also extremely helpful tip for when you are shopping for asparagus.
Another reason why our family enjoys this style is because it can be forgiving when you cook it. We dislike overcooked and mushy veggies and you can achieve a more even cook especially helpful on the barbecue or any high heat. Another bonus is, if you leave them raw for salads, slaws or veggie platters the thick stem adds a wonderful juicy and crunchy texture similar to broccolini stems which is to a wonderful way to eat asparagus.
Second photo is quick pan fry in fresh churned butter that is salted with pink Himalayan salt from The Quarter Section Food co. found at the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market!