(I love a good pun. Get it? Asparagus tips? I know. I’m hilarious.)
Asparagus is in season. It’s a favorite veggie of the Johnson household. Most things you’ll read say to use asapargus the day you buy it. It doesn’t have a long shelf life once it’s been cut and shipped however far to your grocer’s produce section. You’ll find it on sale this time of year, so you might be tempted to stock up and buy a few bunches. More than you might be able to use in one day.
When you get home, pull the bunch out of the plastic sack and cut off the ends. It’s the same when you buy fresh flowers. You want to cut off the dried up ends so water can get into the stalks and keep them fresh.
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| Top: dried up ends, Bottom: cut and ready for water |
Notice that in most stores, you’ll find the asparagus sitting in a shallow pool of water or on dampened towels. Asparagus likes moisture and will stay fresher longer if you recreate that at home. I simply trim off the ends and place each bunch in its own glass jar with water.
When you’re ready to cook it, simply rinse it off and snap off the tough ends. Then prepare them for the recipe; keeping them long or cutting into pieces.
Bonus tip:
Also do this for herbs. I have honestly kept herbs for weeks in my fridge in a bit of water in a jar. Replace the water when it looks a little cloudy and take out any loose leaves that have fallen into the water. This especially works for parsley, basil, and cilantro. Don’t rinse the leaves first, even though some herb bunches are pretty sandy. Just make sure to rinse and dry them before using in a recipe. Cover lightly with plastic wrap if you want. I leave mine out in the open and haven’t had any problems.
9 Comments
I am sure you know this — but maybe those reading your comments don’t:
To know where to trim Asparagus before eating bend the lower portion of the asparagus. It will snap where it needs. You can use this as a guideline for the remaining bunch to cut — or snap each stem.
I use this method for herbs, but never thought to use it for asparagus. Thanks! I’ll try it!
Great tips. Thanks for sharing. I love roasting fresh asparagus with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Yum!
We have been enjoying asparagus. These are some great tips. THANKS!
The asparagus looks lovely !
Thank you so much for the reminder -my parents and I have gotten so lazy lately: we used to keep ours in water, and we should go back to doing that. I’m so glad spring is on the way; a lot of great vegetables will be in season ! Hope you’re having a nice weekend : )
Great tips. Thanks! Now we need an easy and tasty way to cook all that yummy asparagus. Mine always gets soggy. :(
We LOVE asparagus! i never knew to keep it in water…or fresh herbs for that matter. I’m going to try that with cilantro. Mine always gets wilted so fast.
haha you’re hilarious
That’s an awesome tip!! For both the asparagus and the herbs. I have canning jars… why have I not been doing this? Thank you!