White asparagus here is probably about an inch or more thick.
First, let me say that I love to eat vegetables and I also love to grow plants. When I saw something that was both familiar (because I love asparagus) and different (because it was white and larger than the asparagus I am used to), I was surprised and excited! New things are fun to me, and then I get to learn about something. When I found out that this particular vegetable is harvested only once a year for a few weeks, I also felt really lucky that my friends and I happened to be here right when they were harvesting the white asparagus.
Farmers grow asparagus in many different countries. However, here in France and Germany, l'asperge or spargel is a very special delicacy that people come from all over the world to enjoy right here in the towns and farms along the Rhine. Asparagus is known as a "perennial," which means that the farmers don't have to replant it again and again each year. When the stalk (the part of the plant that they harvest) starts to poke through the soil, the farmers either pile up more soil around it or cover it to keep it in the shade. As the asparagus grows, it doesn't get much light which keeps it white. If it was exposed to the sun, it would turn green and look like the one we see here.
