- All you ever wanted to know about asparagus is here in this marvelously illustrated classic. The pictures will send you out to the market and get you digging in the garden. Bon appetit! H. L. Osterman, our resident gastronome, gives us a new take on Hexamer's classic treatise on growing asparagus. Fortified with bits of history and loads of recipes, you'll learn tons about planting, harvesting, and marketing this tasty vegetable. From cooking tips to medicinal benefits to embarrassing side effects, you will discover interesting facts about asparagus. Lavishly illustrated with score of new photographs, you'll be sorting through green, white, and purple asparagus at your supermarket's produce department before you finish reading this handy guide.