Compare prices for fresh asparagus across Edmonton retailers.
Asparagus is cut at full size and does not ripen after harvest — it only declines, and it declines fast, converting sugar to fibre and losing moisture more quickly than almost any other vegetable, so the whole task at the shelf is choosing the freshest bunch rather than judging ripeness. Look for firm, straight, glossy spears that feel rigid and snap rather than bend, with tightly closed, compact, dry tips and smooth skin of an even deep green, often with a purple cast at the tip. Check the cut ends: they should look freshly trimmed and moist, not dried out and woody, split, or slimy. Spear thickness reflects the age and variety of the plant rather than tenderness — both pencil-thin and thick spears can be excellent when fresh — but pick a bunch of even thickness so the spears cook at the same rate. Because asparagus cannot improve at home, buying for later in the week means choosing the freshest spears you can find and slowing the decline in the fridge, not leaving it out to come around.
To keep asparagus near its peak, treat it like cut flowers: trim a little off the dry ends, stand the bunch upright in a jar with about an inch of cold water, drape a loose bag over the tips, and refrigerate it in the coldest part of the fridge; alternatively, wrap the cut ends in a damp paper towel and bag the bunch. Either way the spears hold well for only a few days, so plan to cook them within roughly three to four days of buying. Outside a brief spring window, most asparagus sold in Edmonton is imported from Mexico, Peru, or the southern United States and may have spent days in transit before reaching the shelf, which makes the tip and cut-end checks especially worthwhile — and because the vegetable is so perishable, getting it cold quickly after purchase preserves what freshness remains, while in winter the bunch should be kept from freezing on the way home, since thawed spears turn limp and mushy.
Asparagus is past its best when the stalks have gone limp and bend instead of snapping, the skin wrinkles or shrivels, or the tips soften, darken, open out, or turn slimy; a sour or ammonia-like smell and slimy, mushy, or mouldy cut ends are clear signs to discard the bunch. Mild limpness on otherwise sound spears, with no sliminess or off smell, is not a reason to throw them out — trimming the dried ends and standing the spears in cold water for an hour or so often revives them, and the naturally tough, woody base of any spear is normal and is simply snapped or trimmed away before cooking. Spears that are still firm but a little tired are also well suited to roasting, soups, or a stir-fry, where a touch of lost crispness goes unnoticed.
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