Asparagus

vegetable · spring · perennial plant

Ancient spring veggie. Asparagus comes all the way from Eurasia and has been eaten for thousands of years. People love eating the young green shoots in springtime.

Made in China. China grows 87% of all the asparagus in the world, which is absolutely huge. In 2024 alone, the whole world produced 8.9 million tonnes of asparagus.

It's a flowering plant. Even though we eat the shoots, asparagus is technically a flowering plant that can keep growing back year after year. If you leave the shoots alone, they'll grow tall and get feathery leaves.

Only eat the tips. The tender young shoots that pop up in spring are perfect for eating, but once they get bigger and woody, they're too tough. Cooks usually snap off just the tender tips and save the rest for compost.