Food Safety Focus | Asparagus
Hello All Team Members!
I hope this message finds all of you and your families safe and well,
This week I wanted to focus on a food with a rich history that is in season right now – Asparagus! This delicious veggie has a small harvest window in the spring that goes from about the end of March to the end of May so get it fresh while you can.
Similar to other foods we’ve discussed, people have enjoyed eating and celebrating asparagus for thousands of years. A recipe for cooking asparagus was even recorded in one of the oldest surviving recipe books found; dating back to the 1st century AD. Archaeologists claim to have found traces of asparagus on dishware found in the Pyramid of Sakkara and even Queen Nefertiti was known to be a fan. It was considered sacred and was used in many religious ceremonies.
Fresh asparagus is usually bright green except for the white and purple varieties. White asparagus is actually the same type as the green, it’s just grown differently. To grow the white asparagus, the farmer piles up about 6 inches of dirt around the plant to keep the sunlight from turning the spear green before harvesting. Purple asparagus is a hybrid said to originate from the Albenga region in Italy and is sweeter and more tender than the green variety, making it perfect for salads.
Asparagus is grown all over the world but is thought to have originated in the Eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor regions, where it still grows wild today. Asparagus made its way to the Americas when Europeans first came to the New World. The Dutch were cultivating it when they settled in the New Netherland colony in the mid-1600s and even William Penn advertised asparagus as growing well in the new colony of Pennsylvania in 1685. Today, most of all the asparagus grown in the U.S. is grown in California, Michigan, New Jersey and Washington.
Asparagus is full of antioxidants, healthy vitamins including vitamins C and E and has also been shown to improve digestive health. Since it’s full of folate or B9, asparagus can help pregnant women get the vitamins they need for healthy baby development. Just half a cup of asparagus will provide enough folate or B9 for about 22% of the daily amount needed during pregnancy.
Thank you for learning more about asparagus with me and as always thank you for all you do to provide safe food for our families each and every Day!
Justin Straka – Food Safety Manager
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