Freezing Asparagus

   Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables and it only makes an appearance in our grocery stores for a short period of time.  The prices here have been pretty high so when I found a great deal, like .98 a pound great, I stocked up!

   Since my hubby is not a fan of asparagus, and I do not want to eat this all at once, I blanch and freeze it.  My method is very simple.  I fill a big stock pot with boiling water, cut the tough ends off the asparagus and blanch it to stop those enzymes from making it go bad and then plunge them into an ice water bath to stop the cooking.  From there I lay them out on a heavy towel, pat them dry and leave them to sit for about half an hour or so to dry out a bit more.  I then divide up the goodness into bundles (this time I got 10 bundles) and wrap each bundle up in aluminum foil.  Those bundles then get put into heavy duty freezer ziplock bags and then stored in our big freezer for future use.  I was able to fit 5 bundles per gallon sized ziplock bag.

   By doing this, I am not only saving money, but also time.  I am able to pull out 1 bundle at a time for me to eat or several bundles if my kids are coming over.  I simply throw the frozen asparagus on a baking sheet and season it with olive oil, freshly cracked pepper and sea salt and bake until done.  It does not take long at all and is so good!  I love being able to have this when it is out of season either as is or adding it to fresh green salads or pasta salads in the Summer.  I'm thinking I may try pickling some asparagus soon too while the prices are still low.