# What does Asparagus taste like?



## faire_raven

I've recently been trying to eat more fruits and veggies, but I'm gettin tried of leafy salads, corn, and spinach.  I've always been incredibly picky about veggies.  I dont like green beans, peas, watercrests, broccoli, or brussel sprouts among many other things I've tried repeatedly.  I havent been able to find a single friend or relative who can explain the taste of asparagus to me.  I'd like to try it, but I'm afraid to w/o at least a lil idea of the taste.  I know ya gotta take a risk in life, but I hate to cook somethin up and then gag on it and have to throw it out.  Is there anybody out there who can give me some idea of what to expect w/ asparagus?


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## Barbara L

Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables, but if you hate that many vegetables you probably won't like it.  I can't really think of anything that tastes like it.  The closest I can think of is artichokes, and it isn't really anything like it.  Asparagus has a very distinct flavor, different from anything else.  What I would suggest is to buy a can of asparagus and try it.  Fresh is, of course, better, but the canned is still good and will give you an idea of what it is like.  

 Barbara


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## faire_raven

Heh..  sadly I have a can of white asparagus that I bought a while back, but I've been too scared to try it.  I guess I'm just going to have to find a sauce or something to dip it in and try it, eh?  I like artichokes in recipes, and artichoke dip (if made right) is to die for!  So I'll just have to get over my silly fear and try it.


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## Barbara L

I like my asparagus plain, but Hollandaise sauce is very popular for it.

 Barbara


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## ironchef

buy fresh asparagus, then marinate it in olive oil, garlic, and balsamic vinegar for about 30 minutes, then season with salt and pepper and grill on medium high for about 4-5 minutes, making sure you rotate the spears so they don't get overly charred. when the balsamic vinegar caramelizes, the sweetness cuts some of the taste that you may not like in asparagus. 

i wouldn't bother with the canned asparagus. it's mushy, and has a briney and acrid taste.


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## -DEADLY SUSHI-

Yeah.... canned asparagus is like canned peas..... HORRIBLE! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 Mushy and just plain bad.


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## kyles

Would someone please tell the English, especially up here in the North, that peas are one of God's gifts, come in a pod, and should be cooked al dente. They are NOT green squidgy items that have the dickens cooked out of them in factory, get plonked in a tin, sit in a supermarket for twelve moths, are extracted from said tin and then heated up, doused in vinegar and smeared on greasy battered fish!

Evil nasty mushy peas!


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## BubbaGourmet

kyles;
    I have even seen them take beautiful, fresh baby peas and cook them to death _then_ put them in a blender! Shame! Let the beatings begin!


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## kyles

That's so evil!!! Baby peas are gorgeous, and you don't have to do anything with them at all. Personally I think picked out of your grandfathers garden, barefoot with your sisters and cousins in the spring sunshine is the best recipe I know!


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## ironchef

English Spring Peas are wonderful when cooked right. I like to use them in risottos, and I use them in an open faced ravioli with lobster, as well as a puree for the sauce in some dishes. If cooked right, they retain a beautiful bright green color, and lend a nice texture and flavor to food.


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## kyles

Nothing nicer than a spring vegetable risotto with baby carrots and peas and lovely young leeks, yum! Still have to wait another three weeks for my next farmers market, hopefully they will have some nice fresh vegetables! It's been just potatoes carrots and onions lately, as they only sell what grows locally.


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## -DEADLY SUSHI-

Talking about farmers markets..... is it just ME or do store apples and tomatos just suck!? Tasteless tomatos.... what a waste!!!  :?  I think canning tomatoes really keeps the flavor.


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## ironchef

no, unless you buy the vine ripened ones, store bought tomatoes are horrible.


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## Barbara L

We were just reading about how tomatoes are sent to the stores green, then they spray them with CO2 gas to quickly turn them red.  Nothing beats homegrown tomatoes!!!!!!!

 Barbara


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## kyles

It's the same here, tomatoes can be horrible. The trick to picking good ones is the smell, if they don't have a grassy, tomatoe-y fragrance, they won't taste. I adore growing my own, but don't have a garden here (you need a glass house to grow tomatoes here) I used to grow a variety called Black Russian, which were a very deep blackish red, they were gorgeous!


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## JESS

_  Don,t start on tomatoes yet hubbie will soon be bringing them in in mass i usualy end up making chutney with them . The trouble in England 
 you get alot of one item all at once  !!  _


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## lindatooo

Jess can you grow the varieties that don't ripen all at once?  I think they're called non-determinate  - some varieties are like that.  Then you have pickings for weeks on end and not so many at one time.


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## lindatooo

As far as Asparagas goes I think you either love it or hate it - I've always loved it  and Hollandaise sauce is a wonderful addition - steamed lends the most delicate flavor.

Hubby is in charge of tomatoes this year and he is nurturing them well - 9 plants!  We should be in tomato heaven by mid July!  We love 'em sliced on bacon & tomato sandwiches and in tomato salads and just about any way you can think of - eaten out of hand...we are tomato hogs!

If you grow the plum tomatoes you can just pick, rinse and freeze them in the vaccuume bags and they skin themselves when they are thawed!


Big Yum!!!!!!!!


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## kyles

I think given the English weather, we honestly do have about two weeks of peak summer, there would be no way of preventing a "rush" of ripening tomatoes. I love relish, chutney and home made tomato ketchup. I used to do a lot of bottling and preserving.


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## RAYT721

*My Favorite Asparagus Recipe...*

*Asparagus w/ Lemon-Butter Sauce*

2 lbs. fresh asparagus spears, cooked
   or 2 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen asparagus spears
1/4 c. slivered almonds
1/4 c. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Cook slivered almonds in 1/4 cup butter until golden brown, stirring constantly (about 5-7 minutes).  Remove from heat and add salt and lemon juice.  Pour over vegetables.  Serves 6.


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## Max Sutton

*Asparagus soup*

Yesterday, I made some *asparagus soup* in my crockpot from a brand-new recipe. I bought _organic asparagus_ that looked great. However, the asparagus was tasteless. I was so disappointed as I do like the taste of asparagus. I'm puzzled.                      

 MAX


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## licia

Our favorite way with asparagus is to roast it with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at about 400 for about 8 to 10 minutes.  It tastes great and the whole family loves it. I stay far away from canned asparagus.


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## linicx

faire_raven said:


> I've recently been trying to eat more fruits and veggies, but I'm gettin tried of leafy salads, corn, and spinach.  I've always been incredibly picky about veggies.  I dont like green beans, peas, watercrests, broccoli, or brussel sprouts among many other things I've tried repeatedly.  I havent been able to find a single friend or relative who can explain the taste of asparagus to me.  I'd like to try it, but I'm afraid to w/o at least a lil idea of the taste.  I know ya gotta take a risk in life, but I hate to cook somethin up and then gag on it and have to throw it out.  Is there anybody out there who can give me some idea of what to expect w/ asparagus?



Asparagus is a spring vegetable. It is not sweet like a carrot. It is not strong like brussel sprouts and it is not bitter. It is certainly nothing like canned peas. It is a tender vegetable when cooked. 

Buy fresh asparagus. If the tip is droopy it is old. Forget it. When you take it home cut off the bottom. It will be firm and woody and tought. Keep cutting until it is really easy to cut. From thee to the top is the best of the stalk. Do that to every stalk. Rinse well. It grows in a sandy soil. 

Simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the veggies and set aside. Keep the water. Do not eat it yet. Make a roux out of butter and flour. Add the water from the veggie - it will be green - and stir well. You want a thin -ish  cream sauce that is not too thick. Add salt and pepper to taste but not too salty. Continue cooking over low flame for a couple of minutes to cook out the flour taste. 

When the sauce is ready, cut the asparagus into one inch pieces and add to the sauce, stir gently and cook for a couple of minute to heat the asparagus. 

It will seem foreign because you never tasted it before. Please give your mouth a chance to adapt to the new flavor before you throw it out. My children learned to eat Asparagus with the cream sauce. Tjeu still like it today.


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## linicx

Max Sutton said:


> Yesterday, I made some *asparagus soup* in my crockpot from a brand-new recipe. I bought _organic asparagus_ that looked great. However, the asparagus was tasteless. I was so disappointed as I do like the taste of asparagus. I'm puzzled.
> 
> MAX



That is peculiar. Maybe it was too young. It is late in the season for fresh asparagus. Maybe  the problem is the growing medium. Maybe it was the last of the crop? Can you ask your county extension office?


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## TheNoodleIncident

how has no one yet mentioned the most interesting thing about asparagus??? 

that oh-so-special scent that fills the bathroom when you relieve yourself after the meal!

there have actually been a few times when i either didn't realize i ate aspargus, or forgot i did, only to be reminded a few hours later while making a pit stop


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## GB

TheNoodleIncident said:


> there have actually been a few times when i either didn't realize i ate aspargus, or forgot i did, only to be reminded a few hours later while making a pit stop


LOL yep that has happened to me too. Usually the next morning when I wake up.


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## babetoo

licia said:


> Our favorite way with asparagus is to roast it with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at about 400 for about 8 to 10 minutes. It tastes great and the whole family loves it. I stay far away from canned asparagus.


 

when done, sprinkle with parm. cheese . pop back in over three min. til cheese melts. yummy.


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## appleyard14

I usually wrap four or five pieces with prosciutto season with olive oil and black pepper. Roast and  your done


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## Claire

I LOVE asparagus and the season is just here for local grown.  It, to me, is impossible to compare the flavor with anything else, so don't try.  I'm told I didn't like it growing up, but rather suspect I never tasted it growing up because it was so expensive.  I certainly don't remember eating it.  The only vegetables I remember disliking (I wasn't a fussy eater then, and am even less fussy now) were boiled (usually to death), smelly cruciferous veggies:  Cabbage, Brocolli, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, all of which have a similar flavor.  I don't think asparagus has a remotely similar flavor.  And, yes, the aroma of your urine the next day is also unique to the vegetable!


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## SRL

I love asparagus, but I think it's about the most expensive vegetable on the market most of the year. I suggest buying a bundle and trying it two ways: use the tips for Steak Oscar and put the stems in a food processor for Cream of Asparagus Soup.

Under the "TMI" category, cutting asparagus (harvesting) was my first paying job when I was 12 years old back in the 60s.


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## justplainbill

I had my own asparagus patch for the better part of 25 years.  Freshly harvested asparagus have a wonderful flavor; It has a slightly sweet aftertaste with a hint of flower ( roselike?) aroma.  These attributes rapidly decline and are pretty much gone within 2 to 3 days after harvest.

Canned asparagus, on the other hand, tends to have a sourish and somewhat metallic taste.


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