The Reason White Asparagus Is So Much Pricier Than Its Green Counterpart

If you've seen fresh or canned white asparagus before, you might not have even been able to guess what it was. Unlike the familiar, vibrant green or purple stalks of asparagus you're used to seeing in grocery stores, white asparagus looks like a thick, pale stick or strange root vegetable. The other noticeable difference between green and white asparagus is that white asparagus is considerably more expensive, costing at least twice as much as its green counterpart, depending on where it's grown and how far it traveled.

Prized as a delicacy in European countries, Germany in particular, white asparagus, often referred to as "white gold" is loved equally by Michelin-starred chefs and the average foodie. This celebrated vegetable has a delicate, slightly bitter flavor, and is commonly eaten with hollandaise sauce and potatoes. Unfortunately, it is only available to enjoy for a short period of time. White asparagus has a brief growing season in the spring, starting around the middle of April and lasting until early to mid June.  The frenzy of demand during such a small window of time, along with a smaller supply than green asparagus, contributes to this vegetable's high price tag.

White asparagus looks like a vegetable that has never seen the sun before, and that's exactly what it is. Green and white asparagus are actually the same plant, but the latter is grown in mounds of loose, sandy soil covered in tarps to prevent exposure to the sun. Without sunlight, green chlorophyll does not develop, preserving the white color. Once the white tips start to poke through the soil mounds, white asparagus is harvested by hand with a special tool to ensure only the stalk that is ready to harvest is removed from the ground.  

Once harvested, it's a race to get the vegetables washed and sorted to keep the color and freshness intact. The final step includes sorting by quality. The whitest, straightest, and thickest stalks demand the highest price, up to €10/kg within Europe. Once exported to countries like the United States, white asparagus can reach a price tag of $25/lb.