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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 21, 2009 - 10:30pm PT
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Always hated asparagus. The way it tasted, the way it smelled. The weird way it looked. That tough, fibrous sensation under the tooth.
So I spent a month in Bavaria, researching a book on the history of alpinism and climbing as much as the weather would allow. little village after little village in May: asparagus season. each and every day:
Spargelfest! Asparagus on the news. Asparagus on the menu. In the store, the restaurants. Asparagus for lunch, dinner, entrees, appetizers. Spargelkremesuppe.
You guessed it: The bastards wore me down. I ended up really enjoying my last bowl of Spargelkremesuppe and found myself sorry that it would be the last.
May comes early in California, and today, in the green grocer's, row after row of spring Spargel. Thus tonight's dinner, an easy to make two-dish meal, suitable for camp and road:
http://food.ivillage.com/recipefinder/display/0,,gc7w,00.html
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Mar 21, 2009 - 10:39pm PT
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mmmmmm. Yummy ! If anyone needs a cook for a gathering and it's for fun, I volunteer. Lynne
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BooYah
Social climber
Ruby Range
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Mar 21, 2009 - 10:39pm PT
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Plus, it makes your pee smell like death. Bonus.
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mrtropy
Trad climber
Nor Cal
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Mar 21, 2009 - 10:39pm PT
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Is it from CA or Mexico, the CA stuff is just starting. In a couple years, because of the cheap Mexican stuff very commercial growers will be growing it in CA. Lots of family and organic farms will be though and it's easy to grow. I love the stuff and the way it makes your pee smell,not nice but interesting.
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/577/why-does-asparagus-make-your-pee-smell-funny
Edit- We make that same recipe sometimes!
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Ricky D
Trad climber
Sierra Westside
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Mar 21, 2009 - 10:39pm PT
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Yer pee's gonna stink for a week dude!
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 21, 2009 - 10:45pm PT
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"Yer pee's gonna stink for a week dude!"
Cool. Point me toward yer favorite route!
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Mar 21, 2009 - 10:51pm PT
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I planted about 40 ft of purple asparagus a few weeks ago. The stuff is finiky about soil pH etc. Had to buy 50 lb of hydrated lime ( I have fairly acid soil) and as it turns out I should have done that last year.
It's doing fine though. You plant it from live roots in a foot deep ditch and then begin filling the ditch with compost and pH adjusted soil over about six weeks. the stalks are just cresting the top of the trench.
I'll know how it turns out next year.
I wonder if it will produce purple stinky pee?
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happiegrrrl
Trad climber
New York, NY
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Mar 21, 2009 - 11:34pm PT
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I had a rental house once that had a HUGE asparagus patch. It was like 5 by 10 feet. MORE asparagus than anyone could ever eat.
I like asparagus. I liked it when all I knew from asparagus was that mushy, canned stuff, to the HUGE PATCH asparagus galore to tender stalks from the store.
It would be nice to have a patch again, some day.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Mar 21, 2009 - 11:35pm PT
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Hail the asparagus!
Se the Kubrick film, The Killing.
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Oxymoron
Big Wall climber
total Disarray
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Mar 22, 2009 - 08:56am PT
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Aparagus!!
Better than Arugula!!
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howlostami
Trad climber
Southern Tier, NY
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Mar 22, 2009 - 09:17am PT
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The weird thing about asparagus pee is... only some people can smell it. Other people don't notice it at all.
http://www.chow.com/stories/10415
So which camp do you fall in to?
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Mar 22, 2009 - 09:28am PT
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klk: Es tut mir leid. Ich mag Spargel nicht!
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Tomcat
Trad climber
Chatham N.H.
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Mar 22, 2009 - 10:07am PT
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Tradchick makes it in a hot iron skillet with olive oil and it's yummy dat way.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Mar 22, 2009 - 01:14pm PT
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A singular additional joy of climbing in eastern Washington in the spring was wandering the orchards and creek environs hunting the wary wild asparagus. Nothing like it on the market shelves but it was a formidable foe in that the canny wee uns employed a dastardly ally Toxicodendron diversilobum or poison oak to most of us.
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Mar 22, 2009 - 01:18pm PT
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Reilly: See? Another reason to not like asparagus--it can't be trusted.
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mazamarick
Trad climber
WA
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Mar 22, 2009 - 01:23pm PT
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Olive oil, garlic, seasoning, grilled or barbecued....delicious.
reilly, got any hot spots in E. Wash for picking? Morels' are going to be popping out soon as well, two varieties to harvest. I'm getting hungry.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Mar 22, 2009 - 01:24pm PT
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Mooser, I forgot to note asparagus' other toxic ally - Crotalus oreganus oreganus. No, not a stuttering Croatian living in Oregon but the Norther Pacific rattler. They like the smaller mammalians who also like asparagus. But I much prefer the lovely rattlers to the poison oak.
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mazamarick
Trad climber
WA
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Mar 22, 2009 - 01:44pm PT
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smells like a Les Schwab store on a hot day.
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72hw
Trad climber
Pasadena, CA
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Mar 22, 2009 - 02:16pm PT
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Cali makes it in a skillet too and it rocks.
I like the skinny stalks sauteed with garlic and oil until they're crispy, then deglazed with balsamic.
I want to try the white asparagus, but it kinda freaks me out. Dunno why, just does - kinda like those freaky cave dwelling bugs that are all white and have no eyes, it just seems wrong... but the morbid curiosity remains!
As for my pee - maybe a bit of colour change but no stink. Hooray for me!
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Tomcat
Trad climber
Chatham N.H.
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Mar 22, 2009 - 02:16pm PT
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Ummmm...yes.Do you have a picture of bacon wrapped scallops and mushroom Risotto to go with it...lol...and some Cabernet.
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