Guten Tag!

I just returned from Germany and it is "Spargel Zeit" there (asparagus time). In Germany, white asparagus is a delicacy and is so so so delicious. It has a milder texture than regular asparagus. It is white because while it is growing, they build up little sand mounds around it to prevent it from being exposed to sunlight (and can't produce chlorophyll--the green color). Since it is LC, I thought I would share with you here! Sometimes the stems can be a bit woody, in Germany you typically peel the individual stalks with a vegetable peeler.

In Germany, white asparagus is eaten with either clarified butter or holindaise sauce. A wonderful complement to the white asparagus is ham! I have eaten it with thinly sliced smoked ham or thicker sliced ham with asparagus rolled up inside.

In the US, the white asparagus can be a little pricey but it is in Germany as well. Make sure that if you do buy the "weisse Spargel" that the produce department hasn't ruined it by not storing it in water and dried it out!!

Happy munching!

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Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans--John Lennon

Yummmy! I love asparagus green and hope one day to try it white. I had no idea there was different versions. Thanks for the info and tip with the sauces!

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If you do get a hold of some. Make sure you peel it!

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Sven
305/218/200
Start Date: 1/1/06

Welcome to low-carb eating.
The food's not bad here.

Sven, I had white asparagus some months back, actually found it at a WalMart Supercenter! It was tender, and I tried it raw, and it was wonderful! We steamed it, and absolutely loved it. Of course, we haven't seen it anywhere since! Maybe it will become more popular and thus more available. Until then, I'll just love my roasted green asparagus.

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Nita

I see white asparagus quite often at Whole Foods with the accompanying "whole paycheck" price. The one and only time I've had it was in Germany when my great-aunt made it for us. Very, very good! I love the green stuff and one of these days I'll have to break down and spend the money on some white asparagus.

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Esther

I think the reason white asparagus is so expensive is that Germany (and Europe) only exports a tiny percentage of crops grown.

I saw some at our local Vons but it was dried up looking and ruined because the produce people didn't have it sitting in water!

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Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans--John Lennon

I ate at a friend's house a couple weekends ago and she served just-picked purple asparagus. The stalks were HUGE but oh-so tender. She said she never has a problem with it becoming tough and woody. It's also supposed to be slow to bolt.

I'll have to watch for some of the white kind -- it's asparagus season here and one of my favorite vegetables!

Aderyn

i saw some canned white asparagas at a safeway store just the other day..

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I got some white asparagus at Wal-Mart this morning. It was only 3 cents a pound more than the green asparagus. I think I will do a "white" dinner tomorrow. Crab, white asparagus, and linguini in carbonara sauce.

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Henry

I tried the white asparagus tonight for the first, and last time. Not only was it not very special, about 1/3 of the spears had a distinct bitter taste. My wife said never again, and I concured with her assessment.

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Henry

Wow sorry about the bad experience!

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Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans--John Lennon

I'm going to Germany in a month. Do you think they'll still be in season then? I know DH isn't wild about the white stuff, but I like it.

I picked up some white asparagus at Wal Mart and fixed it for dinner last night. It was wonderful! I snapped off the ends, then peeled a good portion of the remaining stalk and steamed for about 7 minutes. Then tossed it with butter and lemon juice. It was fantastic!

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Eddie
President and Founder of the Intergalactic Order of Brussels Sprouts Haters