National Asparagus Day is celebrated on May 24, and we are ready to eat! Asparagus production in the United States is concentrated between three states: California, Michigan, and Washington, and it is best in the spring, making it the perfect cookout veggie. This versatile vegetable can be pan-seared, fried, baked, or grilled, and it is full of nutrients like fiber, folate, and vitamins A, C, and E.
Asparagus was an ancient vegetable. The ancient Greeks and Romans used it as offerings dating back to 3000 BC. They used the Persian word ‘asparag,’ which meant a shoot or sprout. The term ‘sperage’ became popular for many years and, in the 16th century, we find the term ‘sparagus’ used in English-speaking countries. Peasants called it ‘sparrow grass.’
Asparagus was brought to North America by European settlers as early as 1655. A Dutch immigrant to New Netherland, Adriaen van der Donck, refers to asparagus in his description of Dutch farming practices in the New World. This vegetable was also grown by British immigrants. In 1685, an advertisement for Pennsylvania by William Penn displaying a list of crops that grew well in the American climate included asparagus.
Currently, asparagus production in the United States is mainly in three states: California, Michigan, and Washington. In 2019, the national average asparagus yield was around 4,076 pounds per acre and the total asparagus production was 84.39 million pounds.
Asparagus can take three years to go from seed to harvest, but the plants will produce spears for decades, making it a great crop. However, it is quite labor-intensive, as farmworkers handpick each spear. They carefully excavate around each spear to a depth of nine inches and clip it at the base. That’s a lot of work!
Once seen as an offering for the gods, asparagus continues to be celebrated today. In 2019, Oceana County, Michigan celebrated its 46th National Asparagus Festival. Asparagus is kind of a big deal.
