May 24th is known as National Asparagus Day, which... I mean, it's a strange vegetable that makes your pee smell weird. But MAN is it good when cooked right, and it's FULL of good nutrients.

And, Michigan just happens to be the highest producer of Asparagus in the United States.

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I was thankful, while growing up, my mom kept a pretty healthy asparagus garden. We ate it with practically every other meal, and it literally grows faster than weeds.

Originally home to most of Europe, and western Temperate Asia, Asparagus is now available around the world, and China is still the largest cultivator in the world, producing 7.35 billion metric tons of it every year.

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But when it comes to homegrown, good ole' American Asparagus, most of it is grown right here in Michigan, with several farms in central, and western Michigan..

In fact, Michigan accounts for almost half of the nation's Asparagus production, and can produce 25.7 million pounds each year.

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Coupled with the state of Washington, the two states nearly make up 2/3 of all Asparagus growers in the country.

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Why does it make my pee smell funny?

Well, it didn't used to. Correlations between "odorous urine" and asparagus didn't start until the mid 17th century when sulfur-rich fertilizers began being used to cultivate it.

Scientists believe the vegetable absorbed the sulfur-rich nutrients, and began creating "Asparagustic Acid," which, when digested, creates a volatile sulfur-containing compound. But yeah, before the 17th century, there is no documentation of asparagus making your pee smell funny.

In fact, there is a small amount of the population who cannot detect the odd smell due to a mutation with their smell receptors. Kind of like how some people taste soap when they eat Cilantro, except these people can't smell Asparagus pee.

Lucky them.

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