Asparagus now, Asparagus later :D

Its that time of the year. When Asparagus is prime for the picking and you can enjoy a nice family dinner with some fresh, Sunny Hill, Asparagus. But before you know it, Asparagus season ends and you have to wait a whole year before you can have it again. :(

But by freezing Asparagus and other fresh Sunny Hill produce, you can enjoy your favorite fruits and vegetables all year round!!
Freezing produce is like raising kids, everyone has their own way of doing it. :D Lol. So we're going to post the ways that have worked for us but if you have suggestions or better ways of freezing your fresh-picked produce, be sure to Comment below or send us a message on Facebook. Either way, we would LOVE to hear from you.

Step 1:The first step to freezing good produce is picking good produce. Sounds easy enough. :) When picking Asparagus you want to be sure the tips are standing up straight, not drooping. It should be bright green on the stem and darker green at the tip.

Once the Asparagus has begun to break apart and become "seed-like", it is overripe, therefore the Asparagus will be very stringy and tough. Just remember, the fresher the Asparagus is the better it is for freezing.

Step 2: Begin the Blanching process. Blanching is the scalding of vegetables in boiling water or steam. Why is blanching an important part of the freezing process? Well, you see, up until harvest time, enzymes cause vegetables to grow and mature. Blanching slows or stops the actions of enzymes. Without this process, the vegetables continue to ripen during the frozen storage which can cause off-colors, off-flavors and toughening. So, though the blanching can be annoying and time consuming, it is necessary if you want fresh garden flavor later.

To begin this process just fill a large pot with water and let it heat to a boil. Drop the Asparagus into the boiling water. Blanch about one pound at a time. Leave Asparagus in boiling water for 2-4 minutes. The timing here is crucial. If you don't blanch long enough, you will speed up the activity of the enzymes and that could be worse than not blanching at all. But if you blanch for too long, you have the risk of causing loss of flavor, color, vitamins, and minerals.

Step 3: Drain the Asparagus in a strainer.

Step 4: Quickly thereafter, plunge the Asparagus into cold water. By cooling the vegetables, you throughly stop the cooking process. Let Asparagus cool the same amount of time as it was blanched.

Step 5: Drain throughly and then put the Asparagus into freezer bags. Press air out of the bag and seal. Also be sure to label your bags so that you can differentiate from the rest of your frozen, Sunny Hill produce. :) Then you simply store in your freezer until you begin to crave some fresh Sunny Hill Asparagus!

Step 6: Continue steps 2-5 until all of your fresh Asparagus has been properly blanched and bagged for freezing. Make sure your boiling water continues to be boiled and your cold water continues to be cold.

And there you have it, a simple way to enjoy Sunny Hill Asparagus all year round. 

We're guessing we will have Asparagus for another 1 1/2 weeks, then we'll be moving on to our next season...STRAWBERRY SEASON. But be sure to collect ALL the Asparagus you need for the winter months ahead. 

Once again, Asparagus is $1.35/lb. Its always best to call the farm (920-434-9009) before you come by, to check produce availability and which fields have prime picking.

Till next time!

~Sunny Hill Farm