The appearance of asparagus at the Market represents the beginning of fresh vegetable season to many visitors.
Raw asparagus is high in vitamins A, B-complex and C, and is also rich with potassium and zinc.
Asparagus should be cooked simply to retain its nutrional value. Young asparagus is also delicious raw with a light vinaigrette. Make sure you snap off the woody bottoms before cooking. Fresh asparagus needs to be kept cool and moist, so refrigerate immediately with a damp paper towel, or bundle the spears and place upright in a container with one inch of water. Americans consumed more than 5 Billion pounds of snack foods in 1992.