Pedrosa’s Asparagus Farm
1550 Robson Lane
Cowichan Bay
Vancouver Island
B.C. 

250 733 0700

About Pedrosa’s Asparagus Farm

Pedrosa’s Asparagus Farm is located in Cowichan Bay on Vancouver Island.

Under the “World’s Healthiest Foods” at www.whfoods.com, the nutrients in Asparagus are charted, the health benefits for the cardiovascular system are evident, it is a natural diuretic, helps keep a healthy intestinal tract and has folate benefits.

Asparagus direct from a farm, like ours which is harvested in season,  maximizes all of the nutrients found within it.  At Pedrosa’s Asparagus Farm, we harvest our asparagus and process it in the quickest time possible.

Once we pick it, the asparagus is put into a cooler where the temperature is just above 0 degrees C to cool the spears.

Therefore, they do not keep growing, which in turn,  can cause the natural sugars to change the taste and texture of the asparagus to starch.

By making sure we process asparagus in this manner,  it will keep the spears sweet and succulent.

The asparagus season is mid to late April through May.  There will be a recording of the picking days call if you call us at 250-733-0700.

We also grow Spanish Heirloom Tomatoes and Peppers, and notably the famous Spanish Padron Pepper.

More about Asparagus

Recent research has underscored the value of careful storage of fresh asparagus.

The key scientific finding here involves respiration rate. Like all vegetables, asparagus doesn’t instantly “die” when it is picked, but instead, continues to engage in a metabolic activity. This metabolic activity includes intake of oxygen, the breaking down of starches and sugars, and the releasing of carbon dioxide.

The speed at which these processes occur is typically referred to as “respiration rate.” Compared to most other vegetables, asparagus has a very high respiration rate. At 105 milligrams of carbon dioxide release per 6 minutes per 100 grams of food (at a refrigerator temperature of 41°F/5°C), this rate is about five times greater than the rate for onions and potatoes (stored at a room temperature of 68°F/20°C), and about three times greater than the rate for leaf lettuce and ripe avocado (stored at a refrigerator temperature of 41°F/5°C) .

Asparagus’ very high respiration rate makes it more perishable than its fellow vegetables, and also much more likely to lose water, wrinkle, and harden. By wrapping the ends of the asparagus in a damp paper or cloth towel, you can help offset asparagus’ very high respiration rate during refrigerator storage. Along with this helpful step, we recommend that you consume asparagus within approximately 48 hours of purchase.

Quercetin is one of the best-researched flavonoids in nutrition, and its intake has been linked to reduced risk of numerous cardiovascular diseases as well as other chronic health problems. At WHFoods, we have some outstanding vegetable sources of quercetin, headed up by onions.

But not as familiar to many people is the role that asparagus plays as an outstanding source of this flavonoid. In a recent study of more than 500 residents near Hokkaido, Japan, asparagus turned out to be the most important dietary source of quercetin (following onions). In fact, while 41% of all dietary quercetin came from onions, 29% came from asparagus (which was well ahead of green tea, which came in third place at 8%). It’s worth noting here that 20 different quercetin-containing foods were included in the study.

A unique group of phytonutrients called steroidal saponins has long been of special interest in asparagus. Because these saponins contain a steroid (fat-soluble) component and a sugar (water-soluble) component, they can have unique impacts throughout the body, including in the function of cell membranes and numerous aspects of immune response. Originally, the saponins in asparagus were of interest to food scientists because of their relationship to the bitter taste of this raw vegetable. (Reflecting the most recent research, it is the monodesmocidic saponins that are most closely linked to this bitterness.)

However, scientists soon discovered that numerous saponins in asparagus—including asparanin A—have the ability to alter immune-system signalling processes as well as the development of certain cancer-related processes. Research in this area is largely still limited to studies on mice and rats, but the ability of asparagus extracts to inhibit the production of certain inflammation system signaling molecules (cytokines) including IL-6 (interleukin-6) and TNF (tumor necrosis factor) is helping to explain how asparagus extracts might be able to help reduce excessive inflammatory processes. Similarly, the ability of asparagus extracts to stimulate the activity of IL-12 (another cytokine molecule that helps certain white blood cells—called CD4+ T cells—differentiate into Th1 or T helper cells) may help explain some of the immunosupportive properties of this vegetable.

More information can be found at http://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=12