phosphorus elements" that also counteract fatigue. By 1469, asparagus was cultivated in French monasteries. Asparagus appears to have been little noticed in England until 1538, and in Germany until 1542. Asparagus was brought to North America by European settlers at least as early as 1655. Adriaen van der Donck, a Dutch immigrant to New Netherland, mentions asparagus in his description of Dutch farming practices in the New World. Asparagus was grown by British immigrants as well; in 1685, one of William Penn's advertisements for Pennsylvania included asparagus in a long list of crops that grew well in the American climate. The points d'amour ("love tips") were served as a delicacy to Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764). Celebrations The green crop is significant enough in California's Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta region that the city of Stockton holds a festival every year to celebrate it. Oceana County, Michigan, the self-proclaimed "asparagus capital of the world" hosts an annual festival complete with a parade and asparagus queen; The Vale of Evesham in Worcestershire is the largest producer within Northern Europe, celebrating with the annual British Asparagus Festival involving auctions of the best crop, an "Asparagus Run" modelled on the Beaujolais Run and a weekend "Asparafest" music festival. Many German cities hold an annual Spargelfest (asparagus festival) celebrating the harvest of white asparagus. Schwetzingen claims to be the "Asparagus Capital of the World", and during its festival, an Asparagus Queen is crowned. The Bavarian city of Nuremberg feasts a week long in April, with a competition to find the fastest asparagus peeler in the region; this usually involves generous amounts of the local wines and beers being consumed to aid the spectators' appreciative support. Helmut Zipner, who peeled a ton of asparagus in 16 hours, holds the world record in asparagus peeling. Gallery See also Notes References External links Kew Species Profile: Asparagus officinalis (garden asparagus) PROTAbase on Asparagus officinalis Asparagus officinalis – Plants for a Future database entry – 2005 USDA report – commercial growing (OSU bulletin) Articles containing video clips Flora of Asia Flora of Europe Flora of North Africa Crops Medicinal plants of Africa Medicinal plants of Asia Medicinal plants of Europe Perennial vegetables Stem vegetables Dioecious plants bn:শতমূলী tr:Kuşkonmaz