The reason why you have to wait 3 years to eat asparagus is because the asparagus plant needs 2 to 3 years to build strong roots and store it's energy in it's crown, which allows the asparagus to produce spears year after year.
Harvesting the asparagus too soon, drains the asparagus's reserves and weakens or even kills it.
Letting the asparagus plant grow tall ferns allows it to photosynthesize power future growth and harvests of the asparagus and makes it a long term investment for sustainable yields of the asparagus.
The reason why asparagus is picked at night is to keep the asparagus cool, tender and white by preventing exposure to sunlight, which triggers photosynthesis, which turns the asparagus green and affect the flavor of asparagus.
White asparagus is commonly picked at night for the above reasons.
Night picking or night harvesting of the asparagus, especially white asparagus also helps the workers avoid any extreme heat and allows for faster processing of the asparagus, which also ensures peak freshness and quality of the asparagus.
The reason it's said that you can't eat asparagus raw is because when eaten raw, the asparagus is tough and fibrous, which can result in digestive discomfort, bloating and gas, especially when eaten in large amounts.
However you can actually eat asparagus raw, but it's better to cook the asparagus before eating it to make the asparagus easier to chew and easier to digest.
Cooking the asparagus softens the asparagus and breaks down the cell walls, which makes some of the nutrients in asparagus easier to absorb and improves the texture as well.
Although cooking the asparagus will result in the loss of some of the heat sensitive vitamins like vitamin C.
Raw asparagus is fibrous and crunchy, requiring good chewing, which can also be unpleasant.
The high fiber in asparagus can result in gas and bloating, especially in people who are sensitive to the fiber content.
Cooking the asparagus breaks down the tough cell walls, which makes the vitamins, A, B9, C, E more accessible.
Eating asparagus raw does have health benefits as raw asparagus contains more water soluble vitamins and enzymes than cooked asparagus.
To eat raw asparagus, shave or thinly slice the spears to make them tender and easier to digest.
And choose very fresh, in season asparagus for the best flavor.
Raw asparagus is safe and nutritious, but cooking or fine slicing the asparagus makes it more palatable and easier on your stomach.