This year’s asparagus season started earlier than usual

(Photo: Pixabay)

In our country, farmers grow asparagus on about 1,437 hectares, from which they harvest about 5,000-5,500 tons annually. At the same time, while in previous years the picking of asparagus started at the end of April, this year, thanks to the sudden warming, it started much earlier, at the beginning of April. Our largest production areas are located in the counties of Bács-Kiskun and Csongrád, in addition to this, even more significant asparagus production is carried out in the counties of Hajdú-Bihar and Békés. Thanks to the soon-to-be-available European Union subsidies, the domestic production area may continue to increase. Among the horticulture investment grants available within the framework of the KAP Strategic Plan, horticulture can also receive support for the planting of asparagus plantations in connection with the application for the support of planting plantations.

Asparagus can be classified into four types according to the color of the whistles: white, purple, purple-green and green, but they are the same plant

If it is picked when it has not yet emerged from the ground, its color is still white – that is why white asparagus is grown under a cover made of earth – but once it has emerged, it turns purple under the influence of sunlight. Flat-cultivated green asparagus is harvested when the entire shoot is above the ground and the sun has dyed it bright green. It grows best in loose, sandy, humus-rich soil, from where it is easiest to harvest its juicy shoots. Available from April until the end of June. It is available in canned form all year round. For a long time, almost all of the domestic produce went to foreign markets, thanks to the increase in domestic consumption in recent years, half of the asparagus produced in Hungary is now on the Hungarian table. The most important markets for Hungarian asparagus are Germany and Switzerland, but domestic producers also deliver to Finland and Sweden.

Asparagus fits perfectly into a healthy diet, as its stems are made up of easily digestible fibers, and the shoots are rich in vitamins and minerals

Its water content is high, but its calorie content is low. Green asparagus is rich in chlorophyll and contains more vitamin C and carotene than its light version. Asparagus is highly recommended for expectant mothers due to its high folic acid content. The most delicate part of the asparagus shoot is the head, it is the softest and tastiest. Lower down, the stem is more fibrous, the outer fibers can be slightly bitter. If you buy fresh asparagus, you should also make sure that the outer part of the stalk is not bitter, peeling it can help. White asparagus must be thinly peeled from the head downwards, this is not necessary for green asparagus, it is usually sufficient to remove the thicker, protruding parts on the side and the lower woody part of a few centimeters by bending the asparagus spear with both hands at the lower third and where it snaps , we use the tender part.

NAK