Popular Vegetable Found Growing in Minnesota Ditches

Your mom told you to eat your veggies when you were a kid but did you know that a popular one grows in the ditches?  True story!  Yesterday at the grocery store, the price tag on asparagus was $5.99 but this veggie can be found in ditches throughout Minnesota and the surrounding states for free!

I grew up in Iowa and all over Fort Dodge were ditches full of asparagus.  To tell you the truth, I thought that was where all of the asparagus grew.  I had no idea people tried to grow these in their garden.  You could just drive outside of town and get a whole bunch from the ditch if you really wanted to.  And right now, it is growing and looking amazing and ready for you to snatch up and throw on the grill.

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If you see asparagus growing, here are a few things to know:

• Be careful of areas that have been sprayed with chemicals.  If something was sprayed on a plant to kill it, you probably don't want that going in your body.
• Do NOT just pull the asparagus out of the ground.  Move some of the dirt away and cut about 1 centimeter down.  You can check out the YouTube video below to learn why this is important.

Are you still hung up on the "makes your pee smell" thing?

I doubt you've ever talked to a random person in the elevator at Mayo Clinic about what your pee smells like, but we are going to open up that can of worms here.  Why?  Because asparagus is one of the many foods and drinks that has a tendency to make your urine smell a little funky.  I've got a whole list for you below...and scroll to the end to see the one that is going to shock you!