Asparagus!

My favorite asparagus comes from the eastern plains of Colorado, where Kiowa Valley Organics grows bunches of it. “We’ve been certified organic since 1990,” says David Rippe, co-owner at KVO, along with Krista Peace, his step-daughter. “At 33 acres planted, we’re the largest producer of organic asparagus in Colorado,” says Peace.

If properly displayed (as it is at Marczyk’s Fine Foods, where I buy it), Kiowa asparagus appears still to be growing.

The nutty, fresh, sweet, grassy flavor of asparagus is at its best in spring and early summer. "The season for asparagus is short, says Peace, “around only eight weeks.” As the weather warms up, “you lose some of the sweetness,” says Rippe. Get it and savor it early, that’s the goal.

“Look for tightness in the head and in the bracts (the "scales" scattered along the shaft),” says Peace. The tips should be as tightly closed as a child’s fist on candy.

As for the quandary whether asparagus should be thick or thin, both Peace and Rippe agree that “thick is the way to go, despite what your mother or grandmother might have told you.” Thick or thin tastes the same, but there is proportionately more fibrous peel to sweet fruit in thinner stems. (I usually peel 3-4 inches off the bottom of my spears, even the thick ones.)

Did you know that asparagus is a member of the lily family? Once brought home, keep it like the flower: Cut off a half-inch from the bottom of the stems and place them upright in the refrigerator in at least two inches of water. They will hydrate that way and keep for several days.

More on this site about asparagus buying and storing, pairing wine with asparagus (a so-called "difficult food for wine"), and more ways to cook it:

Asparagus, um Tips, Pairing wine with Asparagus (and other difficult foods for wine), Edna Lewis's Skillet Asparagus (left), Asparagus with Anchovy and Egg Sauce, and Asparagus Trimmings Vichyssoise.