You can do a lot with this tender-topped vegetable

Asparagus is one of the first garden vegetables we see at farmer’s markets and is a sure sign that more fresh vegetables are to follow. As a child, I liked asparagus only if it was smothered in cheese sauce and served on toast, but over the years I have come to appreciate its flavor, especially when freshly harvested.

It has been cultivated for thousands of years for both culinary and medicinal uses.

Many home gardeners may have an asparagus patch. With proper care, this long-lived perennial vegetable will produce spears each spring for many, many years.

Moreover, this versatile and healthy vegetable can be consumed raw or cooked and is available fresh, frozen or canned. If you are lucky enough to have an abundance available to you, you can preserve your own.

Here are some things you might not know about asparagus:

r Nutrition and health — Nutritionally this vegetable packs a punch! It is very low in calories, provided you do not drown it in cheese sauce, with about 20 calories per half cup. It is a good source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, and potassium — definitely a nutrient dense food.

r Selection and storage — Choose odorless stalks with dry, tight tips that are similar in size. Avoid wilted or limp stalks. At home, refrigerate unwashed asparagus for up to four days. Wrap the ends of the stalks in a wet paper towel and place in a plastic bag in the vegetable crisper drawer.

I have never eaten white asparagus, but it is supposedly tenderer with a milder flavor. It gets its white color through a process called etiolation, which means depriving the stalk of light. Dirt is mounded around the stalk as it grows to prevent exposure to the sun, and as a result, it does not produce chlorophyll, the substance that gives the plant its green color.

r Cleaning and preparing — When you are ready to prepare your asparagus, wash the stalks under cool running water to remove dirt and sand. Bend the asparagus stalk so that it snaps at its natural breaking point, which removes the woody bottom.

r Cooking methods — There are varieties of ways to prepare this vegetable.

Ideally, cook asparagus upright in an asparagus steamer. The stalk ends, which are thicker, can sit in the water while the tenderer and delicate tips are steamed. Bundling them together also helps if you do not have an asparagus cooking pot.

One method recommends standing the stalks in 3 inches of boiling water, covering the pan or pot and cooking for 8 minutes or until tender crisp.

If you do not have a steamer, you can boil them in a wide skillet with about one inch of water. This allows the spears to lie flat and cook evenly.

If you will be using asparagus in a salad or cold dish, consider blanching. Place the spears in boiling water for about 3 minutes, then immediately remove and place in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.

Many people enjoy roasted and/or grilled vegetables, and asparagus can be prepared using these cooking methods as well. If roasting, set your oven to 450 degrees F and roast the oil coated and seasoned spears for about 10 to 15 minutes. For grilling, choose thick spears and grill on medium-high heat for 5 to 8 minutes until tender.

r Preserving — You may wish to can asparagus, but as a low acid food, it must be pressure canned for safety.

Many people prefer to freeze asparagus as it retains more of that fresh taste and look. For best quality, the spears should be cleaned with scales removed, then blanched for 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the size of the spear, after which they should be quickly cooled in ice water, drained, dried and packaged in a freezer container. For best results when freezing, place drained and dried spears in a single layer on a tray, and place the tray in the freezer for several hours until the spears are partially frozen. Then pack the desired amount of spears in a freezer bag with no headspace.

Asparagus can also be pickled or dehydrated.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation website has guidelines on canning, freezing and drying this vegetable.

Here is a quick and easy recipe from the Fruits and Veggies: More Matters website that everyone should love. Enjoy!

ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON SAUCE

(Serves 4)

20 medium asparagus stalks, rinsed and trimmed

1 fresh lemon

2 Tbsp. mayonnaise, fat free (or try plain yogurt)

1 Tbsp. dried parsley

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/16 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Place 1 inch of water in a 4-quart saucepan with lid.

2. Place a steamer basket inside pot and add asparagus. Cover and bring to boil over high heat.

3. Reduce to medium heat and cook for an additional 5 minutes (until asparagus is easily pierced with a sharp knife).

4. While asparagus cooks, grate lemon zest into a small bowl. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl. Use the back of a spoon to press out extra juice and remove pits. Add mayonnaise, parsley, pepper and salt. Stir well and set aside.

5. When the asparagus is tender, remove from pot. Place asparagus in serving bowl. Drizzle lemon sauce evenly over the asparagus. Serve.

Nutritional information: 25 calories, 0 gm fat, 5 gm carbohydrate, 2 gm fiber and 100 mg sodium.

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Some information adapted from Lisa-Franzen-Castle, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Healthy Bites Newsletter, May 2015

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Laurie Welch is a nutrition and family issues educator with Penn State Cooperative Extension, 570-726-0022.