Wild Asparagus Adventure

by syerodriguez

Wild Asparagus Adventure

In our adventure today, we walked around the rolling hills, outside of Montrose Colorado, to seek out the plant that was eaten by the ancient Egyptians earlier than 3000 B.C. We looked for it and we found it; Not just a little either. With about 4 people gathering we collected at least 10 to 20 pounds in less than an hour.

We had a good time collecting it and were fortunate enough to have time to prepare some for eating after arriving back at our house. It was very tasty and fresh. We managed to find some of the biggest shoots I’ve ever seen.

You can see exactly what I’m talking about in the video associated with this writing. We managed to get some interesting facts from my Aunt and Uncle, who’ve been collecting it for a number of years.

In the video my Aunt Carol says she thinks Asparagus is an antioxidant. She knew what she was talking about. The plant is abundant in the antioxidant rutin, which aids in strengthening capillary walls. It’s also a good source of glutathione; an antioxidant known to be anti carcinogenic.

Asparagus is also moderately anti inflammatory and provides an abundance of vitamin K; It contains 180% of the RDA in 1 cup. The unusual looking plant also contains significant amounts of folic acid, vitamins A and C; and some calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, selenium and potassium.

Erich, my cousin, talks about some theories regarding the funny smell of a person’s urine after consuming asparagus. He’s right on with the information. A study was done involving people who smelled the odd aroma after eating asparagus and those who didn’t. The people who could detect the odor in their own urine could also smell it in the urine of those who couldn’t detect the smell; although studies did show, there is a small percentage of people who do not produce the odorous urine. It has been determined, about 22% of the population lack the gene for smelling the odor.

Now that we’ve got a few of the facts straight about asparagus, have a look at the video to find out how and where to gather it; and how to prepare it.

Sye Rodriguez