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  |  Fruit & veg  |  Vegetables  |  Asparagus colours: Know your varieties
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Asparagus colours: Know your varieties

While the most popular asparagus in the UK is the green version with hints of purple at the tips, this spring vegetable comes in an array of hues. Learn how they're different and how to prepare them

Go green
British asparagus is traditionally the green variety, grown naturally and allowed to mature in the early summer sunshine. It gets its green colour from the process of photosynthesis, which happens as the spears emerge from the ground into direct sunlight. Asparagus crowns produce a variety of different sizes of spear at the same time, all of which are tender and edible requiring only the bases to be lightly peeled.

What about white?
White asparagus is popular in many European countries. It belongs to the same family as green asparagus and is harvested from the soil below ground. This is a more complicated production process which often makes it more expensive than green asparagus. White asparagus comes in different sizes from pencil-thin to jumbo, and has a slightly bittersweet flavour. It needs to be peeled before cooking to remove the outer skin. Because it is not grown in the UK, white asparagus is less widely available here.

Purple perhaps?
Purple asparagus is distinguished by its deep burgundy spears and is bred for its unusual colour. When cooked it frequently turns green and for this reason, it's often eaten raw, or very lightly blanched, as a colourful addition to a salad for example.

Seeing red?
Red asparagus is part of the purple asparagus family and 'Jacques Ma' red asparagus is a variety originating from France. Like its purple cousin, it is perfect eaten raw. Red asparagus has an active life of around eight to nine years - shorter than green asparagus, which can keep producing for up to 15 years. Red asparagus is grown in the same way as green, although its yield is slightly lower, which can sometimes make it more expensive. Red asparagus is not widely available in the UK.

Find out more about the spring spear at www.british-asparagus.co.uk



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