Thin != Tender

I always thought the thin tiny asparagus at the grocery store would be the most tender. I avoided the fat "woody" asparagus. Boy, was I a goof!

It turns out that asparagus spears come up out of the ground at a certain thickness and that thickness doesn't really change over time. They get taller, and fern out, but they don't get thicker. At least, not noticeably.

The big fat spear of "purple passion" asparagus shown above is nice and tender. The thing to look at is the bud. As long as it's closed up tight, the asparagus will be delightful. As soon as the bud shows signs of opening up, you should harvest the spear about 15 minutes ago. Asparagus spears grow very quickly, so daily harvesting is a good idea.