I'll be doing a stock-up grocery trip later in the week, but today the refrigerator crisper drawers were almost completely empty. On my way home from the gym this morning I stopped in at my local Aldi to pick up enough produce to get us through.
This time their fruit "Produce Picks of the Week" were strawberries, cantaloupe, and pineapple, and the vegetables were broccoli crowns, celery, and sweet potatoes. I grabbed one of everything but on my way to the check out I saw a hand-written sign which said they were having a Manager's Special on asparagus; it was on sale for only 99¢. Underneath the sign there was an almost-empty box that held what was left of the one pound packages.
What a deal! I love asparagus, and the pencil-thin stalks looked like they'd be nice and tender. Visions of roasted spears tossed with balsamic vinaigrette danced through my head. Or I could use them to make a nice asparagus risotto. Or a stir fry. So many possibilities!
I grabbed two.
When I got home, I realized I had already taken beans out of the freezer to make chili for dinner. There would be no asparagus tonight. I wanted to keep them fresh, so I decided to try a trick I'd read about. Basically, you treat the spears like fresh flowers and stand them up in water.
With a sharp knife I cut off an inch of the tough bottom ends of each stalk, then put them in a tall cup and poured a couple of inches of water in it. I wrapped some plastic wrap loosely over the cup so it didn't touch the asparagus, and used a rubber band to keep it in place. Since tonight's meal yielded enough for leftovers tomorrow night, I hope that my asparagus stays fresh until later in the week.
Five years ago today: Who Comes Up With These?
That's how I store mine and it works great. Does it for celery too.
ReplyDeleteGood to know about the celery, but I don't think there's room in the refrigerator to stand IT up.
DeleteIt always store mine that way except for the plastic wrap. I didn't know you were supposed to do that. I'll try it next time. I do love asparagus too.
ReplyDeleteI guess by using plastic wrap (or a produce bag) you'd be eliminating evaporation.
DeleteGlad to have all the fresh fruit and vegetable choices as the weather warms up. I see the asparagus standing up like that sometimes at the grocery store, now I know why.
ReplyDeleteI'd completely forgotten about asparagus standing up at the store until you mentioned it. You're right; I'm sure that's why they do it.
DeleteI knew a lady who grew her own. Love that.
ReplyDeleteTHAT would be neat!
DeleteHuh! I've never done that and sometimes I'm left with sad little shrivelled asparagus. Thank you for the tip, Kathy. I'll try it. My late father-in-law always grew his own.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. It always makes me sad when I let food get past its prime and I have to toss it.
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