The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-06-23
ABOUT ASPARAGUS
A VEGETABLE THAT ENJOYS a DE-
SERVED POPULARITY.

Seeds Used For Coffee,
AS ticker of the palate asparagus
nus como down the ages with all tho
%eighe OF Greek and Roman approval
fiato ate 1T by tho plateful, and Arts.
sophanesi tho hulnorist, regarded it as
great aid i'll digesting the crank phi
iosophers of the day.
IL Is an odd fact that this culinary
plant is closely related to tho famous
asphodel, which was supposed by tho
ahclents to be the leading flower in the
gardens OF the clysinm, tho Greek pur-
Ratory or paradise A part of the
9ualntness of this lies in the fact that
the roots both possess purgative quail
1es The roots and fruit of both were
formerly much used in medicine for
this purpose.
According to the superstition Of the
Romans, the names of the dead fed ON
the roots OF the asphodel. They planted
nc, therefore, in and around tho cemo-
terles. Hence to this day it covers with
Jus beautiful golden blossoms as profuse-
~ as dandelions the Apulian hills and
valleys, and the sheep feed ON it greed
lily.
1t belongs to the same natural order
OF pcrcnnials, and tho only difference
between the asparagus and the asphodel
appears to be in the fruit and the color
OF the flowers So abundant is the wild
asparagus III tho steppes of Russia that
cattle eat it like grass, just as Italian
Sheep devour its botanical cousin.
Not native to America, it has here,
however, been raised to its greatest per
lection MS table delicaoy. Perhaps no
other plant gives as good proof of what
cultivation can do. In it's wild state it
rarely grows higher than foot or thick
er than slate pencil Culture has mul
tiplicd its height by four and its thick
ness nearly as much, adding also to its
favor-not, however, to its value as IA
food, for it still possesses very little nu-
'tritivc substance.
1t was once regarded us garden or
nanicnt i'll this country, and in New
England rural places especially was used
III making up bouquets Dried speci-
mems can still bc found in Maine and
Massachusetts parlora. Nor is this,
which would strike those who know it
only TO eat 1t, as n curious old fashioned
taste, without good foundation from
an artistic point of view, for tho full
grown plant is remarkable for its deli
cate elegance 1t has many branches
loaded with fine, threadliko leaves and
small bell shaped flowers of Il grecnish
yellow lustcr.
Its responsiveness is also remarkable,
and it has lent itself to modern humor
as it did to. ancient One of the most de-
Icious passages Of Charles Dudley War
ncr's My Summer In IL Garden" tells
Of lis planting it, leaving it alone for
awhile and coming back to find that it
had ovcrrun everything and threatened
totrrn his place into All asparagus grove
The methods of cultivation and cut
tinG Of the young and tender shoots for
market before ramifcation differ very
little here and abroad except as to time
Here it is generally not cut for the first
two years Abroad il is often allowed
to grow three OF four. The life Of plant
properly cut and tended Is a dozen years
The beds aro generally feet broad,
with trenches = ~ feet deep for the ma
nuring The plants are usually arranged
from to 10 inches apart, and the clus-
ter of heads that grows from each root
is cUt from little below the surface of
the soil
asparagus possesses, i'll common with
asphodcl and some score of related
plants, a very peculiar crystalline chem
zeal called asparaginc, and an extract
Of the shoots and roots is still admins
tered occasionally III dropsies as "a diu-
rctic, and also as a lithic to dissolve
calculi III the bladder. 1t seems to he
unquestionably a stimulus to digestion
and is probably one of the most whole
some adjuncts of dinner.
Tho seeds i'll some parts OF southern
Europe are dried and used as IA substi-
tutc for coffee, which may yet come
into fashion here. A wild variety in
Spain and Portugal is considered the
crown of salad, having pleasant bit
ter taste that gives not only flip to
the tongue, but also to the appetite.
The amount raised in Staten Island and
In jersey for the New York market i'll
crcascs markedly every year, and the
quality seems to keep pace with the
quantity.
The ways OF cooking and serving it
are likewise Oh the increase. Asparagus
Oh toast, asparagus salads, asparagus
patties, sauces and even soups, plain
and in combination with many other
vegetables, indicate by their variety
the favor it has attained
A very common mistake, however,
that is made in preparing it is to cook
1t whole. After being delicately
washed, it should DO cut in half, and
the lowest part should be cooked for
three-Quarters Of an hour. Then add
the tops and cook for 10 or 3 minutes.