Both cultures used asparagus juice for medicinal purposes - to ease the bite of bee stings and the pain of toothaches. Native to the Mediterranean, the juicy stalk was introduced in New England in the 1700s by Dutch and English colonists. By the mid-1800s, the plant was cultivated in California. Today, asparagus grows predominantly in California, Michigan and Washington. Grown in sandy soil, the asparagus plant ranges in color from green to purple to white, and survive for nearly a decade.
White spears tend to be thicker and smoother than the green variety.
The larger the spear, the more mature the plant. Tough stems are made more palatable by shearing the outer layer with a knife or vegetable peeler and tough ends should be snapped off. Asparagus stays fresh for several days when snuggly wrapped in plastic or stored upright in one inch of water and covered with a plastic bag.