2008 Asparagus
Here is only a part of the total haul. All told we had over ten pounds of raw asparagus. We brought it home and let it soak for probably a little longer than we had too, but it was in cold water and it kept itself well.
Look at that color! It was, no kidding, the most vibrant green I can imagine. After rinsing and trimming, we shocked the young greens in boiling water. We added 1 lb of shoots to a large pot of water and timed it for 1 min. After the minute passed I pulled them out and they went straight into an ice bath to stop the cooking. We took them from there and layed them out on some paper towels and blotted them off.
Here is a picture of Amber vacuum packing one of the 1/2 lb bags of asparagus that we made. I need to diverge into another product review here.
Here is the total haul from one weekend of putting up asparagus. finished weight is approximately 9 pounds. Guess what we spent on it? 10.00 for the asparagus (1.00/lb) and a few bucks for the bags. Can you beat that? I don't think so. If you have U-pick-it's near you I encourage you to get to them and see if they have asparagus ready, it's one of the real prizes of the spring. It's also one of the crops that, although we love it, we will not grow. It takes too long to mature and takes up too much space for our small lot. I rather go down to the farm stand and pick it myself. Besides, it's a great Saturday morning out with the kids and A~.
Hope you all have a great day tomorrow, I'll be finishing my fence. Pictures anyone?
Till then.
P~
Labels:
Asparagus,
farmers market,
food,
harvest,
local business,
local food
8 comments:
That is very intersesting. How long will the asparagus keep that way? do you freeze it?
Good questions! Yes I do freeze them, (Duh I should've mentioned that, thanks for keeping me honest.) They should last at least 8-9 months with little/no quality loss. The really big key is just to quickly blanch(1-2 min Max depending on size.). The first year we did this, they were a little to mushy after defrosting and reheating but still tasted great. Small batches make all the difference. We hope to put up enought to last us through the year and leave us hungry for it again next spring.
P~
Thanks! So then is the vacuum packing a way of saving space in the freezer? or does it extend the shelf life.
Yum! I hope to put more asparagus in next year. I only have a few stalks this year but then purchased some local asparagus and used the food saver system I borrowed from my Dad. Hope they freeze ok. :)
ra~
Yes, exactly! As with all preserving of food, oxygen is the one of the biggest enemies. It also helps prevent freezer burn and ice crystals that could damage the quality of the product.
P~
I copied you, sir - I got asparagus from our food coop this week and rushed right out and bought one of those Reynolds food sealers. What a handy little device - thanks for the inspiration! ;)
Ananda, Great to hear from you again! I'm glas I was of some help. Isn't that little device the best. We did another couple of bags just today as a matter of fact.
P~
Here is something you may find interesting, aparagus grows wild along the roadways as well as abadoned railroad tracks all around here in Ohio. So right, it was very slow coming up this year and the temperature caused it to be a bit tough in the beginning, now good, but about seasoned out. I've preserved it the way you said for years and you are direct on. I use a foodsaver vacuum packer, since I do a lot of other gathering, such as deer, rabbits, squirrel, garden, etc. Works GREAT, last til next season and beyond. Try hunting asparagus, you may be pleasantly surprised, what you may find.
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