via flickr

Asparagus, like most produce, can be a little tricky to store. It's pretty hardy though, so stored correctly, you can keep it at home for a week or more without worries.

1. Asparagus likes to be stored standing up. You probably saw it displayed this way at the store, perhaps with the cut ends in ice. At home, mimic this position by putting it into a tall container with the cut ends at the bottom. 
2. Don't let it dry out. Add an inch or so of water to the container. The asparagus will draw from the water, so you'll want to refresh it every 2-3 days. 
3. Find your asparagus a roommate. I always have other things in the fridge that need to be stored in a similar way - like fresh cut herbs. Rather than have two containers in the fridge, I make my parsley share a room with my asparagus.
4. Keep it cool as a cucumber. Asparagus likes to be cold, so store it in the coldest area of your refrigerator. This means in the back and oftentimes near the bottom. Since asparagus is tall, it always ends up on the top shelf of my fridge - but I stick it way in the back. You know, behind the locally brewed beer.

When you're ready to use your asparagus, give it a good rinse and trim off the ends. How can you tell how much to chop off? Easy. The asparagus will actually tell you, if you ask nicely.

Hold one asparagus stalk between your thumb and forefinger, gripping it at the cut end. With your other hand, grab the bud end and gently bend the stalk. The asparagus will snap in exactly the right place to show you how much of the woody cut ends to discard. And don't worry. You don't have to hand-snap all of them. Just use the first one as a rough guide to slice the other ends off with a knife.