Asparagus Gyrations

I believe this one thing to be true - American grocery store asparagus is shit! Now that I said it, let me say that I love asparagus, even from the grocery store. I just know that somewhere its much better than this stuff that sits bundled on our store shelves. Its not the flavor so much as the texture and the heads...I love chomping off the head or nibbling off each little leaf. Its just a great vegetable. A couple of nights ago I made a simple asparagus whole wheat pasta dish. I started by flash blanching the asparagus, drizzling it with the olive oil mentioned below and a basil pesto, and tossing it on the pasta. Here are some images of why I love asaparagus: