Will asparagus freeze well?

[Llyra]

We love it, but the time it's cheap and local is so short, so I was thinking of stocking up. I freeze all kinds of other veggies-- just blanch and ice and seal-- but I've never tried asparagus. How does it hold up to freezing? Does it go mushy when you use it, or does it hold its texture okay? Anybody ever tried freezing it?

[jeanine123]

I haven't personally frozen asparagus but I've bought packages of it from Trader Joes. I have been really happy with it, it's not all mushy or anything when you cook it. These are thin little spears so I generally don't thaw ahead of time, I just toss them into the skillet with some olive oil, salt and pepper and they thaw while they cook.

[cristeen]

They don't hold their texture very well.

The trick though is like a pp said - don't thaw them before using them. Historically, I've just tossed them in oil and roasted them straight out of the freezer, and that works okay. They definitely take longer, but they're pretty good that way. But if you defrost them and want to use them as a crunchy veg - it doesn't work.

Or I just puree them into soups. That's a good use for them, too.

[Llyra]

Okay. That's the way it is with most home-frozen veg-- they don't hold the crisp, and you have to use it still frozen. Thanks! Off to blanch some asparagus...

[hildare]

i think that most people can them rather than freeze. do you like pickled things at all? i know you can make asparagus pickles (but that just isn't my thing at all.. ick).. here's someone's cool blog about doing that with lots of pics..

[riaketty]

Originally Posted by jeanine123

I haven't personally frozen asparagus but I've bought packages of it from Trader Joes. I have been really happy with it, it's not all mushy or anything when you cook it. These are thin little spears so I generally don't thaw ahead of time, I just toss them into the skillet with some olive oil, salt and pepper and they thaw while they cook.

This. Don't thaw.

And blanch! We tried batches straight from the garden (we have 25 plants) and after blanching. After blanching won by a landslide.

Figure out ways to incorporate them without eating them straight. I put them in soups, stir-frys, grated finely in meatloaf...

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by hildare

i think that most people can them rather than freeze. do you like pickled things at all? i know you can make asparagus pickles

This is what I do with my excess asparagus, when it's nice and cheap. I took some from a couple years ago to a potluck last week and it disappeared. I do really prefer it pickled to frozen, but pickled has really limited applications - I just eat it straight.