My mother, who grew up in the defunct town of Ellenton (taken over by Federal Government for what everyone called the “Bomb Plant”) was like all people in the asparagus belt – Barnwell, Aiken, and surrounding counties with somewhat sandy soils overlying clay – relying on the culls of asparagus grown to be shipped to northern cities as their staple vegetable for several months each spring. The most expensive asparagus were the largest – the grades began with choice, then fancy, colossal, and super colossal and what her family most often had were the small asparagus which she continued to prefer. When I was first offered huge, fat asparagus, I demurred but after tasting them quickly converted to a super colossal fan. Since they are picked every day, large asparagus are just as tender but come from a larger root shoot.
Grades of asparagus
