produce stand asparagus fresh asparagus when its tips are slimy peeler to gently remove the outer skin to increase tenderness and to decrease cooking time preserve freshness fruits during pregnancy and can decrease the risk of spina bifida in offspring dalry grains vegetables protein and mediterranean areas asparagus must be planted three years in the ground before its shoots can mature! • the roman emperor caesar augustus was a connoisseur of asparagus and sent choose myplate gov asparagus shoots were taken by the fastest runners up into the alps so it could be frozen and eaten throughout the year make half your plate fruit & vegetables "commissary