You can freeze fresh asparagus and eat it out of season. This works just as well with white asparagus as with green asparagus. We show you what you have to consider.
You should always buy fresh asparagus during the asparagus season and from the region. Because imported asparagus causes high CO2 emissions, which are not necessary. If you also want to eat asparagus out of season, you can freeze the asparagus spears.
When buying, make sure to choose organic asparagus, as conventional asparagus is often contaminated with chemical-synthetic pesticides.
Tips for freezing asparagus
Before you freeze the asparagus, be sure to peel it. You can find out more about this here: Peeling green asparagus and peeling white asparagus. You don’t have to throw away the peel – how about an asparagus soup made from the peel as a starter?
You should also cut off the woody ends now.
Don’t blanch or cook asparagus before freezing it. Because otherwise it loses its taste.
It is best to freeze the asparagus in portions and airtight. So you can easily remove it without having to defrost all the sticks at once.
After freezing: Thaw and prepare asparagus
While many foods should be thawed gently, exactly the opposite makes sense with asparagus:
It is best to put the still frozen asparagus directly into the boiling salted water. If the asparagus thaws beforehand, it loses its taste with the melted water. The asparagus needs about eight to twelve minutes in the boiling water until it is cooked.
Frozen asparagus is also good for grilling: after freezing, asparagus cooks a little faster than fresh spears. After about five minutes on the grill, you can eat it.
If you want to fry the frozen asparagus, you should cut it into small pieces before freezing. After about five minutes they are done.
You can also use the frozen asparagus for salads or vegan chicken fricassee. This is a good alternative if the asparagus has lost too much flavor during freezing.
After freezing, the asparagus can be kept for at least six months.
