As an asparagus aficionado, I look for the best deals on this vegetable in the market. I never thought about buying too many vegetables at once. This was because I couldn’t keep asparagus or any other vegetables fresh.
In a bid to reduce my grocery visits, I learned how to freeze asparagus. Some negative connotations are attached to freezing food, but they are not true in the case of asparagus.
If you go by the book when freezing asparagus, then the vegetable’s texture will remain tender-crisp and its taste will stay the same.
Yes, you can. Freezing is the best method to preserve asparagus and keep it fresh for a long time. However, you cannot just place your asparagus directly into your freezer.
Instead, you will first have to do some chopping and boiling.Only then you can safely put your vegetable in the freezer. Here is how it is done.
What will I need?
- A paring knife
- Pot
- Ice cubes
- Large bowl
- Timer
- Baking sheet
- Plastic bags
- Vacuum packing
- Plastic wrap
1. Preparation
- Select freshly-harvested asparagus.[i] Ideally, freeze your stock when the seasonal demand of the asparagus nears its peak, i.e. from early to mid-spring. During this time, you can find asparagus of the highest quality, which is both crunchy and flavorful in taste.
- Wash each spear with cold water to remove any dirt or impurities. Keep washing thoroughly until it becomes entirely clean.
- Trim the woody ends of your spears. The bottom end of the asparagus hardenswith time. Therefore, you have to slice off the bottom third of your spears. You can take the asparagus in your hand to find a weak spot around its bottom thirdregion. Next, snap the spears into two. If not, cut with a sharp paring knife. Repeat this step for all the spears. You can learn more about this by watching this video.
- Chop the asparagus into pieces that are about two inches in length. Althoughyou can freeze the whole spears, cutting it is necessary for the next process: blanching.
2. Blanching
- Use a pot that is big enough to hold the asparagus pieces. Fill two-thirds of the pot with water. Bring the water to a boil.
- Pour water and ice cubes in another large bowl.
- After boiling the water for three minutes, drop your asparagus spears or pieces into the water. Set a timer for three minutes to cook the asparagus. When the time is up, don’t let the asparagus sit in the boiling water for any longer.
- Immerse all the boiled asparagus into the icy bowl immediately after taking it out of the pot. Set another timer for three minutes. Usually, asparagus is placed in the boiling pot and icy bowl for the same period, so always set the same times for these steps.
- Use a dry towel and dry off the damp asparagus. If you are careless during drying, then your asparagus will be frosty in the freezer and could become freezer burnt.
3. Freezing
- Lay down a baking sheet and distribute your asparagus pieces evenly. Position the pieces such that overlapping is not possible. Use a plastic wrap as a covering for the sheet.
- Add the baking sheet to your freezer so it can be flash-frozen in an hour. As a result, your asparagus pieces freeze on a separate level instead of being frozen as a solid mass.
- Use plastic bags that are considered reliable for extended use (around a year). Stick labels with dates on your containers so that you can determine the condition of your asparagus. Make sure that you pack asparagus tightly, eliminating any air from the container. To do this, you can apply vacuum packaging. In this way, you can maintain the texture and taste of your vegetable.
- Freeze the asparagus for a year or longer.
How Long Does Asparagus Last in the Refrigerator?
You can store asparagus—both raw and cooked—in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. [ii]
How Long Does Asparagus Last in the Freezer?
Raw asparagus lasts longer in the freezer than its cooked counterpart. The former lasts for 12-18 months in a freezer, while the latter can last for around 10-12 months. [iii]
Do I Have to Blanch Asparagus Before Freezing?
Blanching is the most time-consuming and the toughest procedure in the whole process of freezing asparagus. Hence, it comes as no surprise that many people want to avoid performing this step.
But, this is a crucial process, and you may want to do a large batch at once.
Enzymes play a critical role in aging asparagus and making it stale.[iv] Blanching immobilizes enzymes, rendering them inactive. They can no longer degrade the nutritional content, color, or texture of the asparagus.
Therefore, blanching, along with proper packaging, allows the asparagus to maintain its essence in the freezer for a year.
Can I preserve asparagus without freezing?
Yes, you can also preserve asparagus with the vacuum sealing method. In this method, a sealer is used to empty air from custom cut bags, creating an airtight seal. This means that you don’t have to blanch your asparagus.[v]
What will I need?
- A suitable bag material
- A vacuum sealer machine
- A permanent marker
1. Preparation
- Wash the spears of the asparagus to remove dirt, soil, or any debris.
- Trim the spears to fit them into the bag.
- Place the spears in the bag. However, make sure that all of them point in the same direction to build a proper air-tight seal.
- Place the bag’s open end in the sealer.
- Line up the edges of the bag.
- Ensure that the ends of the bag are positioned properly in the sealer and start it.
- Adjust the bag to enhance the air removal process.
- Wait until the sealer stops.
- Detach the suction from the sealer and then open. There should be no air in the bag.
- Create a label and attach it to your asparagus bags in the freezer or write the name and date directly on the baggie with marker.
Note: There are different types of sealers, some of which contain an additional set of instructions. Therefore, check the details of your sealer machine before using it.
Watch this video to learn more about the vacuum sealing method.
Final Thoughts
Keep these bonus tips in mind when you are storing and cooking asparagus.
- Don’t thaw asparagus just before cooking it.
- You can take out the blanched asparagus out of the freezer and eat it even if a year has passed. But do bear in mind that the quality might suffer and the taste pales in comparison to fresh.
How to Freeze Asparagus - Real Life Guide
Can You Freeze Asparagus for More Than a Year? Yes! This is how to freeze asparagus that have been blanched so that you can enjoy it all round the year.
Ingredients
- Paring knife
- Pot
- Ice cubes
- Large bowl
- Timer
- Baking sheet
- Plastic bags
- Vacuum packing
- Plastic wrap
Instructions
- Select freshly-harvested asparagus. Ideally, freeze your stock when the seasonal demand of the asparagus nears its peak, i.e. from early to mid-spring.
- Wash each spear with cold water to remove any dirt or impurities. Keep washing thoroughly until it becomes entirely clean.
- Trim the woody ends of your spears. The bottom end of the asparagus hardens with time. Therefore, you have to slice off the bottom third of your spears.
- Next, snap the spears into two. If not, cut with a sharp paring knife. Repeat this step for all the spears.
- Chop the asparagus into pieces that are about two inches in length. Althoughyou can freeze the whole spears, cutting it is necessary for the next process: blanching.
- Use a pot that is big enough to hold the asparagus pieces. Fill two-thirds of the pot with water. Bring the water to a boil.
- Pour water and ice cubes in another large bowl.
- After boiling the water for three minutes, drop your asparagus spears or pieces into the water. Set a timer for three minutes to cook the asparagus.
- Immerse all the boiled asparagus into the icy bowl immediately after taking it out of the pot. Set another timer for three minutes.
- Use a dry towel and dry off the damp asparagus. If you are careless during drying, then your asparagus will be frosty in the freezer and could become freezer burnt.
- Lay down a baking sheet and distribute your asparagus pieces evenly. Use a plastic wrap as a covering for the sheet.
- Add the baking sheet to your freezer so it can be flash-frozen in an hour.
- Use plastic bags that are considered reliable for extended use (around a year). Stick labels with dates on your containers so that you can determine the condition of your asparagus.
- Make sure that you pack asparagus tightly, eliminating any air from the container. To do this, you can apply vacuum packaging.
- Lastly, freeze the asparagus for a year or longer.
Notes
- Don’t thaw asparagus just before cooking it.
- You can take out the blanched asparagus out of the freezer and eat it even if a year has passed.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g