Asparagus spears are packed with nutrients and flavour from tip to stem, so it’s a no-brainer to want to savour every last morsel of this glorious vegetable. If thinly cut, for example, even the thickest parts of the stems can be stir-fried, added to risottos or tossed through salads.
Asparagus also becomes less expensive if you eat the whole spear. To use it with minimal waste, check how fibrous the ends are by cutting a thin round off the very bottom and tasting because, so long as they’re sliced thinly enough, even the tough ends can be made palatable. By cutting the spear thinly across the grain, you are cutting the fibres into very short lengths that should be texturally fine to eat. If you have very old woody asparagus, however, and the thin rounds are indigestible, peel and compost the thick skin and cut the rest into 2-3mm-thick coins.
