Canning Asparagus

Most people start their pressure canning journey with broth, maybe beans, or raw-pack meat if they're feeling adventurous.  I went for the one item a lot of people warn against canning because you might not like it, asparagus.  I actually love canned asparagus, but it's so different from freshly steamed or roasted that it's like a whole different vegetable.  You should not go into this experience without trying store-bought canned asparagus first.

I went with this for a few reasons.  First, it was probably the last good sale of the year.  Second, I don't have any in the pantry, and I do have some of the other items on my to-can list.  And third, it's just hot-pack produce, which is how I prefer to do my fruits, and I'm used to that procedure.

Once I got the four pounds of asparagus opened and in the sink to wash, I was disappointed.  This was not the greatest quality asparagus.  Most of the ones in the store were too thin to can, so this is what I was stuck with if I didn't want to wait nine months to do this project.  An appalling amount ended up in the compost bucket, including whole spears that were unusable.  I had hoped to get six pints out of the purchase, and heated up eight jars, but only ended up with 5.  Still, five cans at the market cost considerably more than the $10 I spent, including lids, so it's a deal.

I'm not going to post a recipe, since it's the procedure in the Presto manual, Ball Book, NCHFP website, and every reliable and up-to-date canning source.  Basically, you blanch the prepared stems, put them in jars with 1" headspace, fill with cooking liquid or boiling water, add salt if desired, and do all the good stuff related to lids before putting it in the canner.  Process at the right pressure for your elevation 30 minutes for pints and I forget what for quarts because that is way more canned asparagus than I will ever need at once.

The jar with only stems and no tips - the one I expected to use for cream of asparagus soup - didn't seal.  I could tell right away because the pieces weren't floating like in the other 4 jars.  It probably siphoned slightly, based on the smell, and particles prevented the seal.  It happens.

This brings up the good point that you should always have a plan when you're canning for what you'll do with any failed seals.  I had some of the unsealed jar in my vegetable medley the next couple of nights, and the rest over the course of the week.  It gave me a chance to try it before putting away all the jars, which was a plus.  It tastes like canned asparagus, and that was the goal.  I could have put in a little more salt.  The recommended amount is 1/2 tsp and I used 1/8.  Maybe I'll try 1/4 next time.  It was close.

So, what do I think about pressure canning?  It does take half a day to process a load of something, but now I'm set for months.  I rotate my ingredients, not using much of any item in a given month, so I might not open the next jar until after summer.  Hot pack did take far less time than the raw pack method I practiced with, because the boiling time is cut drastically.  The canner will get used, but mainly when there's a good deal on something I use enough to make 8-9 pints of it.  And that was my justification for this purchase in the first place.