Asparagus

Fresh-cut asparagus is sweet and tender, worlds apart from store spears, perfect roasted or grilled. We grow ours without synthetic pesticides in Lineville, Alabama and pick at peak ripeness. It's a good source of folate and vitamins A, C, and K. Sold fresh through local Alabama delivery, farm pickup, and our farmers-market stand.

• Grown in: Lineville, Alabama (no synthetic pesticides)
• Freshness: Harvested at peak and sold fresh
• Availability: Seasonal - local Alabama delivery & pickup
• Storage: Refrigerate and enjoy fresh
• Why it's good: Nutrient-dense and picked at peak freshness

• Storage: Standing upright in an inch of water like cut flowers, loosely bagged, refrigerated
• Shelf life: 3 to 4 days - it loses sugar faster than almost any vegetable
• Washing: Rinse just before cooking and pay attention to the tips, where grit collects under the scales.
• Using: Roasted or grilled hot and fast. Snap the woody end off rather than cutting - it breaks exactly where the tough fibre stops.

Why stand it in water?
Asparagus is a cut shoot and it keeps behaving like one - it drinks. Standing the butts in water and bagging the tips loosely holds the spears crisp for days, where flat in a drawer they go limp and stringy overnight.

Are thick spears tougher than thin ones?
No, and this is the common myth. Thickness is the age of the crown, not the age of the spear. Thick spears are often more tender because there is more flesh relative to skin; thin ones just cook faster.

How do I know where to trim?
Hold a spear at both ends and bend it - it snaps where the fibre ends. Do one, then line the rest up and cut them to match.