The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-06-29
ABOUT ASPARAGUS
a VEGETABLE THAT ENJOYS a DE-
SERVED POPULARITY.

Seeds Used For Coffee
AS ticker of the palate asparagus
mas come down the ages with all the
weight OF Greek and Roman approval
Plato ate it by tho plateful, and Aris-
tophanes, the humorist, regarded it as a
great aid in digcsting the crank phi
losophers of tho day.
1t IS al odd fact that this culinary
plant is closely related to the famous
asphodel, which was supposed by tho
anclents to be tho leading flower in the
gardens of the elysium, the Greek pur-
8atory or paradise. A part of tho
quaintness of this lies in tho fact that
sne roots both possess purgative quail
Gles. The roots and fruit Of both were
Formerly much used i'll medicine for
this purpose
According to the superstition of tho
Romans, the names of tho dead fed on
the roots of the asphodel. They planted
1t, therefore, i'll and around the oeme-
eerles. Hence to this day it covers with
Its beautiful golden blossoms as profuse-
1y as dandelions the Apulian hills and
valleys, and the sheep feed OH it greed
ily
1t belongs to the sa:no natural order
OF percnnials, and the only difference
between the asparagus and the asphodcl
appears to Ike i'll the fruit and the color
of the flowers. So abundant is the wild
asparagus i'll the steppes of Russia that
cattle cat 1t like grass, just as Italian
sheep devOur its botanical cousin.
Not native to America, it has here,
however, been raised to it's greatest per-
fo1,1 10 1a1,
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 IL Slate pencil. Culture has mul
tiplied its height by four and it's thick
ness nearly as much, adding also to its
flavor however, to its value as q
food, for it still possesses very little nu-
tritive substance.
1T was once regarded as u garden or
nainent i'll this country, and III New
England rural places especially was used
III making up bouquets Dried spcci-
mems can still be found in Maine and
Massachusetts parlors. Nor is this
which would strike those who know it
only TO eat it, as Il curious old fashioned
taste, without good foundation from
all artistic poinh 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 {, grccnish
yellow lustcr.
Its cXpansivcness is also remarkable
and it has lent itself to modern humor
as it did to ancient. One Of the most de-
licious passages of Charles Dudley War
ner's ':N1y Summer III Garden" tells
e of his planting it, leaving it alone for
awhile and coming back to find that it
had ovcrrun everything and threatened
to turn his place into an asparagus grove
The methods of cultivation and cut
ting OF the young and tender shoots for
market before ranlification differ very
little here and abroad except as to time
Hero 1T is generally not cut for the first
two years. Abroad it is often allowed
to grow three or four. The life of IL plant
properly cut and tended is {; dozen years
The beds are generally / feet broad
with trenches . feet deep for tho ma
nurlng. The plants are usually arranged
from q to 10 inches apart, and the cus-
ter of heads that grows from each root
is cut from Il little below the surface of
the soil
Asparagus possesses i'll common with
asphodel and some score oil related
plants, very peculiar crystalline chem
tcal called asparaginc, and an extract
OF the shoots and roots is still admins
tered occasionally III dropsics as diu-
retic, and also as lithic to dissolve
calcull Ill the bladder. 1t seems to be
unquestionably stimulus To digestion
and is probably one Of the mos. whole
some adjuncts of a dinner
Tho seeds i'll some parts of southern
Europe are dried and used us IL substi-
tute 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 III Staten Island and
III Jersey for the New York market in
creascs markedly every year, and the
quality seems to keep pace with the
quantity.
The ways of cooking and serving it
are likewise on 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 i'll preparing it is to cook
it whole. After being dclicatelv
washed it should be cut in half, and
the lowest part should bo cooked for
three-quarters of an hour Then add
the tops and cook for 10 or l5 minutes