How to keep asparagus fresh

Asparagus, tastes delicious.

It is very nutritious containing VA, VC, VB, potassium and gluthianone (an antioxidant). Above all, it is a good source of folic acid (folacin).

But I feel it hard to store asparagus, which easily turns rotten in its delicate tip and gets tougher in its end. I recently paid close attention to the supermarket, trying to figure out how they store asparagus. The conclusion drawn is low temperature, water for the stem and dry atmosphere for the tip.

I had a test last weekend: prepare a bottle, add some filtered water (about 2 cm), place a bunch of asparagus upright into the bottle and keep stem ends in water -- like a bunch of flower in the vase. The result came out very good. Asparagus looked good after two days chilled in the fridge (see the picture).

Another thing confuses me a log time is why urine has strange smell after we eat asparagus.

I eventually find the answer:

It's the result of a simple chemical reaction. Asparagus contains a sulfur compound called mercaptan. (It's also found in rotten eggs, onions, garlic, and in the secretions of skunks.) When your digestive tract breaks down this substance, by-products are released that cause the funny scent. The process is so quick that your urine can develop the distinctive smell within 15 to 30 minutes of eating asparagus.

(Quote from: http://www.webmd.com/content/article/43/1671_51089)

Very interesting!