>My favorite vegitable is asparagus and soon the season will be upon us.
>My idea is to buy it in bulk at the farmers market and freeze it.
>
>The problem is that I need a good recepie for doing this.
When freezing veg., there are three steps to follow to preserve the produce.
The following info may be useful:
1) Blanch in boiling water.
This brightens the colour of the veg., furthur cleans it, halts the ripening
enzyme activity, and kills any bacteria.
For asparagus, the stems can be whole, or cut to 2" lengths.
Blanch time: 4min. large stalks
3min. med. stalks
2min. small stalks
Time carefully!
2)Cool veg.
Place in a colander and immerse in a bath of cold water and ice cubes. This
halts the cooking process in the veg and maintains the colour. Time
carefully--chill time is the same as your boiling time.
3)Packing.
I've found that dry packing in ZipLock bags works well, providing the veg
are dry and ALL the air is pressed out of the bag. Label the bag with the
freeze date.
Providing the timing is adhered to, and the final pack is air-tight, this
method has been super in my experience. Best of luck...asparagus rules!
Sharon
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SHARON McCLEAVE BSc(Hons)Ost MRO
Registered Osteopath
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