A Fresh Look at Asparagus

Driven by a sharp reduction in California’s output, US asparagus production plunged by 66% between 2003 and 2016. Growers in the Mexicali Valley and Peru—ranked third and first in global production—are filling the gap. However, shrinking supply from both countries this summer could not come at a worse time. US cold storage of asparagus in May showed a 20% drop from a year ago. Retailers could turn to China, although production is reportedly overstated. The better alternative may be to look for extra supply from Spain where green asparagus looks promising.