Asparagus Nutrients and Preparation

Many of my readers ask for menus and preparation of nutritious foods and especially vegetables. The art of home-cooking is becoming a lost-art in many homes as we slip into the trap of "fat-food chains and restaurant-addiction." My mother often told me, from the very tender age of five years-old, "You don’t know what’s in the can and you don’t know what happens in the kitchen of a restaurant." At the age of fourteen, I learned first-hand what took place in the kitchen of a restaurant, and it would scare most people into learning, firsthand to prepare fresh home-cooked meals.
Asparagus is an excellent source of blood-building folate infection-fighting vitamin C. It also supplies small amounts of iron, potassium, and the B vitamin riboflavin, which helps the absorption of other B vitamins and is vital for mental balance. It is naturally low in sodium, fat, and calories, and great for weight watchers—if you skip the butter and hollandaise sauce.
It is most abundant and inexpensive when purchased in-season from April through June. This popular veggie comes in white and purple varieties, as well as the more common green type, which is the most nutritious. Select spears that have pointy closed tips, and are either young and firm or large and tender. Avoid stalks that have been sitting in water for a long time. If they are limp or soft, move on to another supplier.
Store asparagus in the refrigerator with cut stem ends immersed in water. To prepare asparagus is easy. Simply break off the bottoms at the natural point of firmness and discard the woody stem ends. Keep it simple. Steaming for about 10 minutes or blanching is excellent methods or preparation. Serve with steamed mushrooms and lemon juice. Asparagus is excellent in omelets or quiche, or added to stir-fries and they make a satisfying velvety soup!
Serving size: ½ cup
Calories: 23 Calories from fat: 11%
Fat: 0.3 g
Saturated: only trace amounts
Polyunsaturated: only trace amounts
Cholesterol: 0
Sodium: 4 mg
Protein: 2.3 g
Carbohydrate: 4.0 g
Dietary fiber: 1.5 g
Chief Nutrients:
Folate: 88.3 mcg
Vitamin C 24.4 mg
Potassium 279.0 mg
Vitamin A 74.7 RE
Vitamin B6 0.1 mg
Iron 0.g mg
Riboflavin 0.1 mg
Thiamine 0.1 mg