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Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis


Asparagus officinalis
Asparagus Greek for "Shoot" officinalis latin meaning "Like a medicine" Once classified in the Lily family with onions, garlic, leeks, turnips and gladioli Liliaceae family was split and Asparagus is now in the family Asparagaceae Asparagaceae is also broken into different subfamilies that contain species such as agave, yucca, joshua tree, hyacinths, and bluebells


Geography
Native to the Mediterranean and Asia Minor Carved in stone as an offering in Egypt dating back to 3000 BC Was prized and widely cultivated by the Romans as well as the Greeks around 2000 years ago Popularity spread to Europe in the 16th Century Moved to the Americas by early British colonists


Morphology
Entire plant (fern) grows to around 1 meter in height (100-150cm) Fasciculated roots in combination with rhizomes are known as the "crown", longer fibrous roots can grow to 2 meters "V" shaped tips emerge to break through the ground Stalk protected by scales Needle shaped green branches and brown scaled branches (modified stems not leaves) Flowers are dioecious yellow-green and look like hanging bells, mostly insect/bee pollinated Fruits are red berries and are poisonous to humans


Cultivation
Perennial Sandy soils Warm humid environments speeds growth. Cooler drier causes slower growth and more fibers (woody) Growth begins around 12*C and ideal cultivation is around 20*C Harvesting is still done by hand, young stalks are painstakingly harvested and the product is highly perishable. Long, thick, dark green, glossy spears, with tightly closed heads are the best quality Shoots are harvested every 24 hours during peak growing season, before the tips "fern out" White Asparagus: Traditionally cultivated by covering the shoots with soil so that they remain white, blocking photosynthesis Now some farmers use black plastic to block the sunlight from the emerging shoots


Uses
Historically has been used as a vegetable and medicine. Readily found fresh, canned, and frozen. Contains 93% Water and: Protein Sugar/carbs Fat Vit A,C,E,K B1,2,3,5,6,9 Choline Calcium Iron Magnesium Manganese Phosphorous Potassium Sodium Zinc


History
Cultivated in Syria, Spain, and by Romans Greeks and Romans ate Asparagus fresh when in season and dried the stalks for winter Romans froze Asparagus in the Alps A recipe for cooking Asparagus can be found in Apicius, which is thought to be the oldest recipe book finished around 400 AD Medicinally used as a diuretic, believed to have been an aphrodisiac, used to counteract fatigue, to cure toothaches, for heart problems, and for bee stings.


Use in North America
When Asparagus was brought to North America by British colonists, Native Americans used dried Asparagus as medicine

Some people still believe in it's medicinal purposes


Fun Facts
It is considered polite and acceptable to eat Asparagus with your hands Roman emperors had an "Asparagus Fleet" to fetch Asparagus, they also wrote down specific instructions on how to cultivate it

In China Asparagus is sometimes "candied" and served as a dessert or special treat

"Food of Kings": French King Louis XIV had special greenhouses so he could enjoy Asparagus year round. Because of the difficulty in harvesting and the delicate nature of Asparagus it was expensive and only the wealthy could afford it during the Renaissance

Asparagusic acid is secreted to make Asparagus less vulnerable to pests, this is the compound which is the precursor to different thiol compounds which create an odor in urine. 1/2 of Caucasian people can smell the odor caused by the excretion of chemicals in urine from eating Asparagus, while 9/10 people with a Chinese background can smell the odor


Work cited
History of Asparagus. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2015, from http://www.asparagus.com.au/index. php/about_asparagus/historyofasparag/ Asparagus. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus All About Flowers - Asparagus. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2015, from http://www284.pair. com/florists/all-about-flowers/Asparagus.htm