Asparagus

Asparagus, also known by its scientific name, Asparagus officinalis, is a plant not native to Missouri, but to southern Europe and the Crimea. It's name means plant sperage, which is a medical name for asparagus. It is a wild plant, that is not domesticated. It is a flowering plant or an angiosperm. Asparagus is a well-known food crop, rich in vitamins, minerals, and other qualities. The name can help identify it, and compare it to its siblings from the same area of background, showing that this plant flowers. One of its ecological benefits is that asparagus provides habitats for insects and can act as a pioneer species in disturbed areas. Asparagus is used globally as a crop and is not endangered so there are no significant conservation efforts focused solely on this species.

Fun facts:

Asparagus is a superfood with vitamins like A, C, E, K, and B6, folate, iron, copper, calcium, protein, and fiber.

It was found and grown in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome.

When I first saw one when I was younger, I thought that they were weeds that somehow got their way into the fridge.

There is a type of asparagus called Asparagus racemosus, which is from India, and has medical uses, as it stimulates the immune system.

Green Asparagus

There is Green Asparagus which is the most common variety grown worldwide. It requires full exposure to sunlight for photosynthesis, which is why it's green. They are the only type of Asparagus that I have eaten.

White Asparagus

There is white asparagus which is grown by covering the shoots with soil or black plastic to prevent sunlight exposure.

Purple Asparagus

Then there is purple asparagus, which has a sweeter flavor and is purple. It is purple because because it's high in anthocyanin levels, a type of antioxidant.

My Person connection:

My father used to live up in a sleepy town called Vanderbilt, up in Michigan. It was very cold up there, and they sometimes didn't get proper electricity, so he raised huskies because they were useful at pulling things. His mother, My grandmother, had a garden, which grew asparagus. One day, my father didn't want to scoop all the dog poop and take it to the outhouse, which was a walk away from the house. My father burned that down, which is another story. He instead dug holes, a few yards away from the garden, and shoveled the poop into it them, because it was closer. This way, he wouldn't need to walk as far with lots of Husky poop, the nutrients from the poop would be reused to grow the pants, and the plague wouldn't spread because he buried them a bit away. He did this for a while. His grandfather had a saying, "A dog ain't good for shit" When his grandfather, my great-grandfather, came into town, he complimented my grandmother on how large the asparagus grew. You see, he loved gardens and was jealous of how well the plants were growing, as they would grow four inches every day. Until, one day, when my father was burying the manure, his grandfather went out to use the outhouse and caught my father burying the poop. My father was busted. They looked at each other for a moment, and my father said, "I guess a dog is good for sh*t."

My family also eats asparagus for some holidays.

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