Purple Asparagus

Commodity Overview

While green is the standard color of asparagus, this is purple and a little sweeter. In the times of the Greeks and Romans, it was considered the food of kings for its flavor and medicinal properties. The tips of the spears are generally preferred but the whole spear is edible.

Characteristics

Commodity: Asparagus
Category: Cooking Vegetables
Characteristics: Asparagus should be firm and blemish free with deeper color at the tips turning light purple to white at the bottom.
Appearance: Long, thin and spear-like.
Flesh: Purple outside and lighter on the inside.
Flavor: Unique and rich with slight bitterness, but sweeter than standard green
Size: About 6-12 inches long with width ranging from pencil to marker thickness
Color: Purple with darker color toward the tip
Shape: Long, thin
Suggested Preparations / Tips: They may be steamed, sauteed, grilled or blanched.
Commonly Cooked: Yes
Seed: NA
Availability: Year-round with peak supplies in the spring
Additional Notes: Photo courtesy World Variety Produce

Retail Price Data is based on USDA Specialty Crops Market News surveys. Data collection ends on the report date and encompasses ad pricing good from the Saturday before the report release date through the following Friday. Weekly data - from over 400 retailers, comprising more than 30,000 individual stores with online weekly advertised features - covers over 250 produce items. Registered (logged-in) users, can access weekly reports and additional market information.

USDA Specialty Crops Market News publishes FOB and Movement data on a daily and weekly basis. Pricing and volume information is aggregated by commodity and published weekly, subject to any source-data adjustments. Commodity data is further processed based on origin (domestic vs imports) and type (regular vs. organic). Registered (logged-in) users, can access weekly reports and additional market information.

Lotto International Inc

Overview (0) (0) (0)

Business Type:

Broker

Location HQ:

McAllen, 68504 Texas

Citrus:

Limes

Berries:

Blackberries, Blueberries, Cranberries, Raspberries, Gold Raspberries, Red Raspberries, Strawberries, Specialty Berries, Red Currants

Ingles Produce Inc

Overview (1) (0) (0)

Business Type:

Broker

Location HQ:

Boca Raton, 33432 Florida

Berries:

Blackberries, Blueberries, Cranberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Specialty Berries

Citrus:

Grapefruit, Lemons, Limes, Oranges

Bonsai Produce and Distribution Inc

Overview (5) (0) (2)

Business Type:

Broker, Wholesaler

Location HQ:

Austell, 30168-7891 Georgia

Melons:

Cantaloupe

Salad Vegetables:

Broccoli, Celery, Onions, Green

Cooking Vegetables:

Napa Cabbage

Berries:

Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Gold Raspberries, Red Raspberries

T Castro Produce

Overview (3) (0) (0)

Business Type:

Wholesaler

Location HQ:

Chicago, 60632 Illinois

Berries:

Blackberries, Blueberries, Cranberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Specialty Berries

Citrus:

Grapefruit, Lemons, Limes, Oranges

Sunterra Distribution LLC

Overview (3) (0) (0)

Business Type:

Wholesaler

Location HQ:

Dallas, 75201 Texas

Berries:

Blackberries, Blueberries, Cranberries, Raspberries, Gold Raspberries, Red Raspberries, Strawberries, Specialty Berries, Red Currants, Kiwiberries

National Produce Consultants LLC

Overview (20) (0) (0)

Business Type:

Management & Consulting, Other, Foodservice

Location HQ:

Allen, 75013-8098 Texas

Berries:

Blackberries, Blueberries, Cranberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Specialty Berries

Citrus:

Grapefruit, Lemons, Limes, Oranges

Melissa's / World Variety Produce Inc

Overview (43) (0) (16)

Business Type:

Broker, Shipper, Wholesaler

Location HQ:

Vernon, 90058 California

Berries:

Blueberries, Cranberries, Strawberries

Deciduous Fruit:

Pomegranates

Stone Fruit:

Apricots

Tropical Fruit:

Carambola, Plantains

Cooking Vegetables:

Celery Root, Leeks, Parsley Root

Alpine Fresh Inc

Overview (12) (0) (11)

Business Type:

Grower, Shipper, Importer

Location HQ:

Doral, 33178 Florida

Berries:

Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries

Tropical Fruit:

Mangoes, Pineapple

Cooking Vegetables:

Asparagus, Brussels Sprouts

Organic Produce:

Organic Asparagus, Organic Beans, Organic Blackberries

M. Levin and Company, Inc.

Overview (3) (0) (12)

Business Type:

Wholesaler

Location HQ:

Philadelphia, 19153 Pennsylvania

Berries:

Blackberries, Blueberries, Cranberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Specialty Berries

Citrus:

Grapefruit, Lemons, Limes, Oranges

Vega Produce LLC

Overview (2) (3) (1)

Business Type:

Grower, Shipper, Importer, Wholesaler

Location HQ:

Medley, 33166 Florida

Berries:

Blackberries, Blueberries

Citrus:

Limes

Deciduous Fruit:

Asian Pears

Melons:

Cantaloupe, Specialty Melons

Tropical Fruit:

Avocados, Carambola, Papayas, Pineapple

Purple Asparagus