Lendorff’s food for thought
Former Rocky Mountain News food writer John Lendorff is keeping close track of local and national trends on his blog, Nibbles (). He scours the trades and trend reports so you don’t have to. Find out what we’re eating, and what the rest of the country is eating, all through Lendorff’s winning perspective.
Re: Spargel (March 24)
Growing the delectable white asparagus in Germany in the traditional manner does not [always] involve the use of tarping to protect the stalk from the “greening” effects of sunshine. Far more common — and certainly more labor-intensive — is the practice of planting the root stock and then heaping mounds of loose soil over the rows of stalks. Experience tells the grower when to go out to the field and brush a hand gently across the top of the mound in the early morning to detect the very tip of the risen asparagus. A flat, sharp cutting iron is then slid into the mound’s base, cutting the stalk low and the Spargel is pulled up through the soil — lily white. German growers are convinced that mere minutes of sunshine on the tender tips can ruin the color and flavor.
Albert Fink, Ph.D.
