GREEN ASPARAGUS ON THE BORDERLINE?

I.M. Vågen
To most Europeans Norway is known for its mountains, fjords and snow. The coastal areas of Southern Norway, however, are well-fit for production of green asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) due to its surprisingly mild climate, and sandy soils. Green asparagus production in Norway started less than 20 years ago, with a gradually expanding commercial production in the last 10-12 years. Still, the production covers less than 10% of the annual consumption, but is increasing. Chefs praise the very delicate and tasty Norwegian asparagus, and gladly pay a higher price for local produce compared to imports. Better taste and texture has been documented for certain fruits and vegetables when grown far north, mainly due to low temperature. A similar effect may well be the reason for the flavour intensity of Norwegian asparagus. Or is the flavour intensity just a result of short distance from farm to fork? A study on the impact of climatic factors, cultivation practice and storage on the formation and distribution of fructans is currently being planned. In connection with that, a study of determining factors for taste and texture would also be interesting, but such a study, which might be performed as an international cooperation, has not yet been further described.
Vågen, I.M. (2008). GREEN ASPARAGUS ON THE BORDERLINE?. Acta Hortic. 776, 515-517
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2008.776.67
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2008.776.67
consumption, fructan, market, Norway, research, taste, temperature
English

Acta Horticulturae