"Vegetable of Kings" - a delight not to be missed

Each spring, white asparagus makes a short appearance on the markets. So short that in the blink of an eye, you might miss it. But why are white asparagus so hard to find, so elusive? This is because there is a demand for this, especially from restaurants, who buy the vegetable as soon as it arrives on the markets. The chefs consider it a rare dish in the spring of an exquisite flavor and appreciate it for its mellow taste. Asparagus has been consumed for over 2000 years and was served in the royal and princely courts of Europe. Even today, it is called the "noble vegetable" or the "vegetable of kings". It embodies the luxury that most often we refuse to table the rest of the year.

 

 

 

           White asparagus is generally more appreciated than others for its tasty and extra-tender taste. It is harvested while it is not out of the ground. Hidden, protected from sunlight, it preserves its mother-of-pearl complexion and grows only underground.

 

 

 

            The company APSA2, located in Indre-et-Loire cultivates a white asparagus, one of the earliest in Europe. Thanks to a heating network installed in the fields, APSA2 started harvesting again on January 14th. In addition, this heating means has zero CO2 emission.

 

 

 

           Jacques Guironnet, manager of the company, explains: "As we heat our fields, our asparagus is very regular in quality. When peeled properly, there is no fiber remaining on the plate once you finish eating them. That's why our customers love our products so much. As we want to have all our heated surface, we can not so much increase the importance of production. We prefer to control our volumes and stay on a very qualitative product "

 

 

 

           APSA2 grows upscale asparagus and attaches great importance to the whiteness of its asparagus, the quality of picking and sorting. Asparagus requires a lot of manpower, which justifies its final price. All asparagus are sorted one by one by hand and are chipped for Extra Class and Class 1. "We do not offer asparagus that tend to blush like the ones that can sometimes be found in the South of  France. We train our pickers to spot the asparagus even before it comes out of the ground, if possible. In addition, the pickers pick by hand and pick only a few meters at a time, so that the product stays in the dark and cool as possible. Fields are covered with black plastic. "- explains Mr. Guironnet.

 

 

 

             ASPA2 markets its asparagus in France, Benelux and Germany, which is the largest consumer of asparagus (an average of 1.1 kg per German: almost double that eat French (600 grams per head) . 15 years ago, ASPA2 successfully opened the Asian market, which is also very important for the company. the ASPA brand is well known in countries like Hong Kong, Thailand and Japan. the asparagus are shipped by air to Asian customers who appreciate French gastronomy: restaurants and delicatessen.

 

        For more information visit booth C-04, Hall 22 at Berlin Fruit Logistica (6-8 February).

 

       You will be able to taste ASPA asparagus!