Get Asparagus

In Michigan, the season lasts from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day. Depending on the weather, the first week of the season our farm will produce 5-10lbs per day. By the third week of May, we will consistently see production increase to 10-20 lbs per day.  Our field is about an acre and produces both green and purple varieties of asparagus.

According to MichiganAsparagus.com, purple asparagus is relatively new and was developed through plant breeding. It originates from green asparagus plants, but is unusually high in anthocyanin, which provides the purple color. Anthocyanin is an antioxidant which is also found in berries and other deep purple vegetables (Sakaguchi et al. 2008). Purple asparagus is very tender and can even be eaten raw (if that’s your thing. I prefer it on the grill). Our field also produces some green asparagus. It is not as pretty, but it’s still delicious.

Sources:

1. MichiganAsparagus.com (2018), About: Interesting Tidbits and Fun Facts About Michigan Asparagus, http://www.michiganasparagus.org/interesting-tips/
2. Sakaguchi, Yumi et al. (2008), Major Anthocyanins From Purple Asparagus (Asparagus Officinalis), Phyochemistry, 69(8), 1763-1766, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2008.02.021