On Wed, 9 May 2007 19:04:55 +0000 (UTC), magnanimously
proffered:

>Sheldon spewed:
>
>: Anyone can do that at home... asparagus continues to grow after
>: harvesting... in fact asparagus farmers have developed packaging for
>: shipping with about 4" head room because that's about how much more
>: they grow on the way to your stupidmarket. Asparagus for shipment are
>: harvested prematurely, which is primarily why they don't taste nearly
>: as good as those harvested from ones own patch... plus anyone who buys
>: asparagus from the stupidmarket has never tasted fresh, those at the
>: market are a minimum of a week since harvested and even thouhg they
>: look attractive they are actually very poor quality.
>
>Excuse me? Asparagus is harvested by cutting the spear, after which
>it has been cut off from its' root system. It cannot and does not
>grow after that because it is no longer receiving any moisture or
>nutrients. You must have magic asparagus!!! It's that little
>asparagus between your legs that grows to 4" head, moron.

Absolutely wrong! We've spent quite a bit of time in England's premier
asparagus growing area (the Severn Valley) and have learned about
asparagus (and other things like French cheeses and wild Scottish
smoked salmon) from my wife's late aunt, who was a Cordon Blue trained
cook.

There is "first cut" or thinnings known as "sprue," the "second cut"
and, if I'm not mistaken, even third cuts of asparagus.

http://www.gardenline.usask.ca/veg/perennia.html

http://www.inberry.com/asparagus.html

While we were staying at my wife's aunt's house in the little village
of Kempsey (near Worcester), we'd go out to the asparagus farms and
get that day's cuttings and sometimes talk asparagus with the farmer.
I don't think I could ever tire of eating sparrowgrass.