WSU Extension Q&A: What are those white flakes on my pickled asparagus?
Q. There are little white flakes on my pickled asparagus. What are they, and is the asparagus safe to eat?
A. These flakes are called rutin and occur naturally in canned asparagus.
The asparagus is perfectly safe to eat as long as it was prepared and processed correctly. For some
The spears also may be wrinkled. The acidic brine sometimes pulls liquid out of the asparagus spears. It will probably plump up after setting for about two weeks.
Q. Do I need two blueberry bushes to pollinize the flowers for berries?
A. In general, blueberry plants are self-fertile meaning one variety can pollinate itself and produce fruit. However with blueberries, more fruit is produced if there is cross-pollination from two varieties.
If you have the room it is better to choose two varieties with different harvest timings so that you get blueberries from early to mid-summer.
Q. How have the exports been this spring?
A. Alfalfa exports were higher this spring compared to last year by some significant margins. China purchases in March were up by 65 percent from a year ago and up 11 percent from a month ago.
The old adage that nothing fixes low prices like low prices is beginning to work at cleaning out old hay reserves. Saudi Arabia purchases of U.S. alfalfa hay also have increased 67 percent in March from a year ago.
It will be interesting to see how much U.S. beef will now enter China since exports have started again and of course that should increase use and the price of U.S. hay.
Q. Is YA4-H! only for teens?
A. No, Youth Advocates for Health (YA4-H!) is a program for ages 8 to 13. Teens-as-Teachers (ages 14-18) teach the younger students about healthy ways to eat, how to stay active and how to make better choices when they eat away from home.
For more information, contact WSU Extension in Pasco at 509-545-3511, ext. 6003.
To submit a question, call 509-735-3551.
This story was originally published June 2, 2017 at 12:32 PM with the headline "WSU Extension Q&A: What are those white flakes on my pickled asparagus?."