Day 120

White Asparagus: Today's new food is another item that my GF picked up for me at Your Dekalb Farmers Market yesterday. I'm a big fan of traditional green asparagus, and I was really curious to find out what the white variety was all about after hearing about it for so many years. According to Wikipedia, white asparagus is grown by "denying the plants light while being grown." Interesting. I was curious to find out if the flavor was any different, so I made them as a side for tonight's dinner.

Before cooking, I checked to see if there was any special preparation involved, and I'm glad I researched that. Unlike green asparagus, these required peeling off the outer skin before cooking, which is apparently bitter and stringy. Once that was done, I tossed the spears with olive oil, garlic salt and pepper, then roasted in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. The flavor was surprisingly different - much sweeter and milder than the green variety. The GF actually thought that it tasted like someone sprinkled sugar on it instead of salt, but I didn't think it was quite that sweet. I found the texture a bit stringier than green asparagus, but not in a bad way.

If you like the green variety at all, check out the white if your local market has it. I enjoyed this version, and I'd definitely buy it again. One question - does white have the same nutrients as green? I suspect not, considering the lack of color. If anyone knows, please feel free to comment.