A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

- For a delectable hors d'oeuvre, roast asparagus along with other vegetables such as squash, Portobello mushrooms, and beets.

- Steamed asparagus served with light lemon vinaigrette makes a delightfully

refreshing salad.

- Toss freshly cooked pasta with asparagus, olive oil and your favorite pasta

spices. We especially enjoy thyme, tarragon and rosemary.

- Chopped asparagus makes a flavorful and colorful addition to omelets.

- Sauté asparagus with garlic, mushrooms and tofu or chicken.

**Asparagus family**

Within Article 1 (Cooking Tips)

Within Article 2 (Culinary Recipes)

Within Article 3 (Freezing, Canning and Processing tips)

Article 1 (Cooking Tips)

Cooking Tips

Saucepan or Steamer:

Cook fresh asparagus in a small amount of boiling water until tender. Fresh asparagus will be crisp-tender in 5 to 8 minutes.

Frying Pan:

Place a strip of folded aluminum on the bottom and up the sides of the pan, extending over the edges. Bring water to a boil: add asparagus spears and cook, uncovered, until crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Use foil strips to gently lift the spears to a serving dish.

Double Boiler or Percolator:

To steam asparagus in an upright position, fasten the stalks into a bundle using a band of foil or string. Stand the stalks upright in the double boiler or percolator with the tips extending an inch or more above the boiling, salted water. (A glass vessel works best.) Cover and cook until tender, 5 to 8 minutes.

Stir-Fry:

Cut spears diagonally in ½ inch pieces, leaving tips whole. Stir-fry pieces in butter or hot oil, in a skillet or wok at medium high heat. Stir constantly until tender-crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.

Microwave:

Fresh Asparagus:

Microwave fresh asparagus in a covered microwavable baking dish or serving bowl. If cooking whole spears, arrange with tips in center. Add about ¼ cup water and cover tightly. Microwave at 100% power for 4 to 7 minutes for spears, 3 to 5 minutes for cuts and tips. Stir or turn halfway through cooking time.

Frozen Asparagus:

Microwave frozen asparagus in a covered microwavable baking dish with 2 Tablespoons of water. Cook at 100% power for 4 to 7 minutes, stirring or rearranging once.

Canned Asparagus:

Drain all but 1 Tablespoon of liquid, and microwave at 100% power for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking time.

Article 2 (Culinary Asparagus Recipes)

Compliment your family’s meal by serving a favorite Wisconsin side dish.

Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus

½ cup Italian dressing

1/3 cup Dijon mustard

2 lb. small red potatoes, unpeeled, quartered

2 cups fresh asparagus

2 cups cherry tomatoes (halved)

1/3 cup sliced green onion

1. Combine Italian dressing and mustard until blended.

2. Toss ¼ cup dressing mixture with potatoes in a medium bowl. Grease a 15x10x1 inch baking dish. Arrange potatoes in pan. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Add asparagus to the pan. Continue to bake 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork and asparagus is lightly browned.

3. Put potatoes and asparagus in a large bowl. Stir in tomatoes, onion and remaining dressing mixture. Serve warm.

Serves 6

Spicy Corn-Asparagus Side Dish

2 cups fresh asparagus (cut into bite size pieces)

2 cups frozen corn

1/2 cup salsa

shredded cheese

crushed herb seasoned croutons

1. Steam asparagus until tender-crisp. Drain and let cool. Place in large salad bowl.

2. Add thawed corn and salsa. Toss and mix well.

3. Chill over night.

4. Add cheese and croutons shortly before serving.

Serves 4

Simple Baked Asparagus

1 lb fresh asparagus spears (trim off ends)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven 350°F

Grease glass baking dish

1. Mix oil and soy sauce and pour into baking dish

2. Wash and place asparagus in oil mixture

3. Gently roll the asparagus in the oil mixture

4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (go easy on the salt since soy sauce is salty)

5. Roast uncovered for 10-15 minutes until tender crisp

Serves: 4-6

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus

8 to 10 fresh asparagus spears

8 to 10 strips of bacon

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

Wash and trim asparagus spears. Roll each asparagus spear in Olive Oil. Wrap 1 strip of bacon around each asparagus spear, leaving tip and end exposed. Lay on a cookie sheet with bacon ends down. Bake in preheated 400°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until bacon is cooked. Serve warm.

For more great culinary ideas, these, plus over 85 other asparagus recipes can found in our Allen’s Asparagus Acres recipe book displayed at our farm store in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin:

Article 3 (Freezing, Canning and Processing tips)

Storage Tips

Fresh:

Keep fresh asparagus clean, damp, cold and covered. Trim the stem end if needed. Wash with cold water. Place in plastic bag or container to keep the air away. If your recipe calls for bite size pieces, for freshness cut pieces just before preparing recipe. Refrigerate and use within 3 or 4 days for best quality.

Freezing:

Wash thoroughly. Remove stem ends if needed. Leave spears whole or cut in 2” lengths. Blanch in boiling water according to the following instructions:

The blanching process may be done on the stove or in the microwave.

Stove:

In a large kettle or saucepan, add two Tablespoons of water per pound of asparagus. Bring water to a boil, add asparagus, cook for 5 minutes until asparagus is bright green and still crisp.

Microwave:

In a microwavable dish, add two Tablespoons of water per pound of asparagus. Cook on high power for 5 minutes until asparagus is bright green and still crisp.

Drain and submerge in cold water. Drain well and pack in freezer bags or containers, leaving no excess air space. Seal. Label with “date” and “Asparagus”. Freeze . Use within 8 months for best quality. Do not defrost before cooking. If asparagus becomes defrosted, cook immediately. Do not re-freeze.

Canning:

Wash and drain asparagus spears. Leave spears whole or cut into pieces. Boil 3 minutes. While hot, place into canning jars, leaving 1 inch head space. Add ½ teaspoon salt to pints, 1 teaspoon salt to quarts, if desired. Cover with boiling water. Adjust caps. Process in steam pressure canner 25 minutes for pints, 30 minutes for quarts, at 10 pounds of pressure. Keep canned asparagus on a shelf in as cool and dry a place as possible. Date jars as you prepare them and use the oldest jars first. Use within a year.