A is for Asparagus What is folate? •From Latin meaning “foliage” •Folic acid a B-complex vitamin  •Essential for maintaining the                    integrity of the blood and  nervous system. •Critical to gene formation I like the fact that President Obama and his wife have raised the importance of growing a vegetable garden. It is the first time that a large-scale garden has been planted at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt planted the "Victory Garden", during World War II. But, I was a little disappointed to hear that Mr Obama is not a fan of asparagus. I can just imagine the expletives used by Chef, Jamie Oliver, when he hadn’t thought to inquire about the President's food preferences before serving him asparagus and lamb during his visit to Britain.    I really can’t imagine anyone not liking asparagus. Canadians eat more than twice as much asparagus today as they did twenty years ago. The most commonly eaten varieties are green, often having Washington or Jersey in their name. For some reason though, we haven't yet developed a following for the purple variety, and the white variety of asparagus—asperge blanche—that is grown under mounds of soil to prevent the production of chlorophyll, both of which, are quite popular in Europe.    I can, however, understand the apprehension of home gardeners to grow it. Asparagus requires several years of growth before spears can be harvested. We live in a fast paced world and want immediate results.  I’m convinced that asparagus is nature's way of resisting our society's compulsion for immediate gratification, and of rewarding those who have learned the virtues of patience.    There is much evidence that asparagus has been gathered since the Stone Age. The Egyptians are known to have eaten wild asparagus; its phallic appearance likely the reason they thought it to be an aphrodisiac.The Romans actually began to cultivate it and loved it so much that they buried it in the snow-covered, Swiss Alps so that 6 months later it could be dug up and served during the Feast of Epicurus. Marcus Apicius, a famous foodie from the 1st century documented one of his prized recipes that combined asparagus, spices, onion, wine, fish sauce, oil, and eggs. The recipe later became a part of what is now thought to be the oldest surviving cookbook.  Apparently, Louis XVI was so smitten with the vegetable that he had asparagus grown in his greenhouse so that he could enjoy it year round.    I consider myself a pretty liberated woman, but some things are just worth waiting for.  Nothing compares to an early spring feast of asparagus . . . butter and a sprinkle of salt.   Asparagus, boiled 1 cup= 180 grams Approximately 45 calories For those who questioned the spelling of the title above DID U KNOW Rhubarb was a term used in the 1930's and 40's to describe an angry or rowdy crowd. It was popularized by sportswriters in the Brooklyn area who obviously needed a variety of ways to describe a common scene. Apparently it originated in British theatre where actors who were portraying a ruckus crowd were instructed to mutter rhu-bar-bar, rhu-bar-bar. The name of our own exhuberant Rube Band makes so much sense now . . . rhu-bar-bar . . . rhu-bar-bar! Getting More Than Just Deserts See.... Whipping up a Good egg Rhubarb may be considered a pie plant in this region, but in China where the plant originates, it has been highly valued as a purgative for 5000 years. Historically, China viewed all foods as both nutriment and medicine. Even today, many Chinese believe that the first step to treating illness is a change in diet. If dietary measures fail, only then is medicine considered.    Ancient Persians who traveled the Silk Road returned from China with rhubarb and introduced it throughout the Arab world. Marco Polo, the Italian explorer, wrote extensively about rhubarb's healing powers and provided many Europeans with their first account of the Eastern approach towards and traditions involving the food, health and medicines of the orient. In the 17th century, the British began to import rhubarb directly from China and produced a drug sold as “The Genuine Rhubarb” by men dressed as Turks. By the time it had gained more of a culinary than medicinal reputation, British merchants were importing huge quantities of Chinese rhubarb along with tea in exchange for the opium that was being produced in Indian provinces under their control.     After much trial and effort, English horticulturalists managed to cultivate rhubarb from seed that they were able to obtain from Russia. Producing the most tender, tasty stalks became an obsession and competition between growers. One particular group of growers became so well known for their quality rhubarb that the area became known as the “Wakefield Triangle”.    By the 1820’s rhubarb had finally made its way to the eastern seaboard of North America and once again became a highly sought after food. The perennial plant offered one of the earliest crops that could be turned into pies and cakes, making it one of the most popular items sold at produce markets from New Brunswick to Maine.    Although considered a fruit, rhubarb is actually a tart vegetable in the Polygonaceae family that includes sorrel and buckwheat. Since its height of popularity in the early part of the twentieth century, its reputation has been reduced to “a poor man’s food” excluded from gourmet dining. But most people love it, and when mixed with sugar the tart celery-like stalks are good for not only desserts and jam, but for wine, savory meat sauces and even pickles. The colour of rhubarb can range from light green and speckled pink to a deep crimson red. The stems have properties that act as a laxative, but the large triangular leaves are toxic and should not be consumed. Back to top Back to top Back to top Rhubarb    Eggs have been regarded as the near perfect food, for very good reason. They are one of the most nutritionally complex foods on earth providing high-quality protein, iron and a valuable source of vitamin A, E, K and all the B vitamins. Although half of the protein is in the egg white, almost all of the nutrients are in the yolk.    According to historians, all kinds of eggs have been collected and consumed by ancient cultures since the beginning of time. Today, ostrich and chicken eggs are the most commonly consumed. But, pigeon, quail, duck, partridge, geese, gull, pheasant, peacock, turkey and even turtle eggs have been consumed around the world at varying times. Many ancient cultures understood the cooking properties of eggs to bind meat and vegetable dishes, flavour sauces, thicken custards, and to lighten breads and pastries.    Of course eggs have also been associated with the socio-religious symbolism of creation, rebirth and fertility. Greeks, Jews, Christians, Gauls and Hindus all revered the egg. Ostrich eggs top the spires of Mali’s famous Mud Mosque, Taoist deities are offered eggs, and the Chinese celebrate the birth of a child with a red egg celebration. Jews of Morocco throw raw eggs at the bride when the couple leaves the wedding hall, and exchanging eggs in Russia during Easter symbolizes the goodness within the soul. Eggs have been hung from ancient Egyptian temples, strewn across North American lawns for excited children and woven into the wedding ceremonies and celebrations from ancient times to present.    More recently, research studies revealed a relationship between high levels of cholesterol and heart disease. Because egg yolks contain cholesterol, they became “guilty by association”. The studies had done a poor job of explaining not only the benefits of good cholesterol, but the complexity between fats, cholesterol and heart health. Capitalizing on public fear, the food industry jumped on the opportunity to begin producing “egg replacements”. These products contain egg whites but lacked the cholesterol containing yolks. To determine the nutritional value of these replacement products  the University of Illinois designed a 40 day study with 2 groups of rats. One group was fed fresh whole eggs the other group was fed the egg product. The experiment lasted only 17 days. While the rats fed whole eggs were healthy and normal, those who had been fed the replacement had sickened and died.    A 2007 study of nearly 10,000 adults revealed that there appeared to be no correlation between moderate egg consumption (6 per week) and cardiovascular disease or strokes. Eggs Now and Then A is for Asparagus      Gracing tables from ancient times to present Eggs Now and Then      The near perfect food Rhubarb      Getting more than just deserts