It freezes great!
Simply blanch for a minute or two,
(not sure of exact time recommended)
package in freezer type plastic bags,
And freeze.
It will be wonderful to have on hand
When the snow flies!

Rusty

I disagree. I've tried repeatedly to freeze asparagus, and after several years have given up. It gets both mushy and stringy. And my asparagus is young, tender, and terrific fresh. And yes, I follow all recommended times.

I pickle asparagus every year. It is WONDERFUL!

Alexa

Pickled Asparagus

Yield: 2 half pints

About 30 as thin as possible asparagus spears
2 Qts cold water
1/4 cup coarse salt
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp dill seed
1 small white onion, peeled and sliced into very thin rings
2 small red hot chili peppers, fresh or dried
2 stalks fresh dill

Break off the tough ends of the asparagus. Cut the spears into 3 �-inch lengths. Place the asparagus in a large enamel or stainless bowl. Combine the water and � cup salt. Cover the asparagus with the solution. Let stand uncovered for 2 hours. Drain the asparagus, rinse under cold water and pat dry.

Combine vinegar, sugar, 1 tsp salt, mustard seed, dill seed and onion rings in an enamel or stainless saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 min.

Pack asparagus, tips up in hot sterilized canning jars. The easiest way to do this is line the outer edge of the jar then fill in the centers. Leave � inch headspace. Tuck a chili pepper and a dill stalk in each jar.

Pour hot pickling liquid into jars filling within � inch of the rims, making sure all spears are thoroughly covered. Wipe rims with a clean damp cloth and seal with lids. Process 10 min in boiling water bath.

Cool to room temp, check seal and store in cool dark place for up to 12 months.

What a nice problem to have.

I agree with Laceyvail. I've never cared for frozen asparagus.

I'd go with Alexa's pickled asparagus.

You could also make asparagus ravioli and freeze.

~Ann

Another one who doesn't do frozen spears. I've had Alexa's pickled asparagus and it was great!

Maybe you could cook (steam, roast) the spears, then food processor them into 'mush' for future asparagus soup or filling.

I freeze asparagus every year, being right next door to Oceana County which produces millions of pounds of asparagus every year, 2/3 of the state's total crop. However one of the few ways it's really very good after freezing is roasted. I blanch for a couple of minutes and freeze on a tray, then package. I take out as many as I want to roast, spread on a sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast. It's not just like fresh, of course, but it's not bad.

Frozen asparagus is also good for soup, my recipe gets mostly pureed anyway.

So, those are the two ways I use frozen asparagus. Canned is yucky, IMO, it's just soft and mushy, but Dad loved it that way, so it's personal taste. I don't like pickles much, so don't care for it pickled at al and my family won't eat it that way either, so it's a matter of your own taste. Some people eat a lot of pickles. (shrug)

Because it's not great preserved in any fashion I seldom freeze very much of it, although I can usually get it for about 50 cents a pound "in season". I usually pickle one batch, and then I throw it out a couple of years later and pickle another batch, so that's pretty pointless. It's one of those things you just have to enjoy fresh while it's available, I guess.

Annie

Annie, I'm always amazed at the prices you pay for fresh produce.

I pass an asparagus farm on my way to work. I stopped and picked up two pounds last week and paid $9.00. They were offering five pounds for $22.00. A big 10 Cents a pound savings.

~Ann

More info ... this is a wild picking all different sizes. Cooking the nicest ones, making some pickled, nice in bloody marys I can always sell them at farmers market. Those ravioli look awesome .... The rest of the week is really busy work (real job) and get garden planted for Farmers Market. Thanks Patty

I freeze the stems of asparagus all the time for use in soup - but not the spears. There is no need to cook the stems before you freeze them if you are going to use them in soup. My favorite soup is Vietnamese style with crab, although I make my own variation of it without pork bones.

Lars

Ann, even with the currency conversion I'm equally astounded at what you pay for produce. I think my asparagus prices have been balanced out by today's produce item at the grocery store, morel mushrooms. For $25 a pound! Not in this lifetime will I pay that, that's crazy.

There are many drawbacks to living in a very small, very agricultural community, but one of the benefits is that we have great produce cheaply and the ability and opportunity to grow much more of it ourselves.

this year the asparagus seems to have escaped the hot-then-cold weather, so the harvest should be fine. However, with gas at $4 a gallon it may be cheaper to just buy asparagus already picked and then brought here for sale than to drive 40 miles or so to pick my own. I figure gas alone would add $1 a pound to the cost of 20 pounds of asparagus.

So, it costs me 50 cents to pick it myself but I have to buy 5 gallons of gas that makes it $1.50 and I can buy it from my local independent grocery (who gets it from the same farm!) for $1.29. Since the grocery store is 1/2 mile away, I think I'll let the grocery ship it for me....

I did find rhubarb at the grocery for 99 cents a pound this week, and that's kind of unusual. Right next to those morels!

Annie

I know this doesn't answer your question about freezing it, but ever since Jessy suggested putting Truffle oil on asparagus, I can't get enough it. I suggest broiling or steaming the asparagus, then drizzle some truffle oil over it. Sometimes I also add a bit of lemon.

Annie, at the moment our currency is at par so that doesn't even factor into it.
Farmer's market prices here are always at a premium. I think I might trying growing tomatoes again this year. I hate paying $4.50 a pound for beefsteak tomatoes.

Ann

Yes, right now it's pretty equal, but it fluctuates, but not enough to make up the difference in prices. And I would think that your much more temperate climate would allow produce for a longer period, making it cheaper.

Of course, I live in a very low income area of the state and so maybe people just won't pay more than that, as the sales will drive the market price somewhat. The median household income is about $37,000 annually and 12% of the population is below poverty level, so few would pay $4.50 a pound for tomatoes because they would be financially unable to.

Ah, but on a better note, try Great White sometime. I bought one by accident last year, labelled just "white tomato" and it was one of the best tomatoes I've ever had. My mother loved it so much she saved the seeds, and now I have 32 of them growing in the kitchen. It's been really warm here but I'm afraid to plant them outside because I can't get any more of them!

Annie

Asparagus can be enjoyed in many ways. Fresh, cooked, grilled. Stir fried, canned, frozen, pickled, dehydrated, powdered, freeze dried ------. They are all good, depending on what recipes they are in.

The only one you cannot make is freeze dried asparagus. You need special equipment to do that.

I enjoy making asparagus powder. It can be used in many interesting ways. Asparagus bread, for instance.

dcarch

dcarch- I'm not on this board too often, but I'm enthralled with asparagus powder?????
MMMMMM that would be a great thing to do with a few gusses that sneak by! Directions? Nancy

Making asparagus powder is somewhat similar to making tomato powder.

First cook and flavor asparagus spears the way you like them, then use a dehydrator to completely dry them to crispy. You may have to use the oven to really dry them if your dehydrator is not good enough.

Then use a coffee grinder or blender to turn them into powder. You don't need to refrigerate the powder.

Makes a nice green sauce.

How about bacon wrapped aspargus? I like my bacon crispy and the asparagus crispy also. So I cook them separate.

dcarch

The asparagus would be long gone before I could build that little corral for the bacon! :-)

I've not tried it, but here's a recipe for Asparagus Pesto. I bet you could make a bunch and freeze it.

Asparagus Pesto
Recipe source: Simply Recipes

Ingredients:
Salt
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch segments
3 handfuls baby Spinach
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup olive oil, or more as desired
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add the asparagus and cook until fully tender but not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well, reserving some of the cooking liquid, and let the asparagus cool slightly.

2. Transfer the asparagus to a food processor and add the spinach, garlic, 3/4 cup of the pine nuts, Parmesan, a pinch of salt and a couple of tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Process the mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container if necessary, and gradually add the olive oil and a bit more of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten if necessary (until a paste forms). Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste, pulse one last time, and serve over pasta, fish or chicken (or cover and refrigerate for up to a day). If serving as a sauce with pasta, sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of toated pine nuts in with the pasta. Serve with additional shredded parmesan.

Asparagus a la Corral gave me a big smile. :-)

Jim