Asparagus
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the jars
Wash the asparagus carefully.
Cut the stalks to fit upright in the jar.
Pack the asparagus snugly in the jar, heads up.
Pour cold water slowly into the jar until it overflows.
Process in the boiler
Place straw or boards in the bottom of a wash-boiler and stand the jars on this.
Add enough cold water to the boiler to come halfway up the jars.
Bring the water to a boil and boil steadily for three hours.
Check that the jars are full to overflowing; if not, fill with boiling water.
Seal and store
Put on rubbers and fasten the covers tightly.
Store in a cool, dark place.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Fresh asparagus
- Forms the body of the preserve, its stalks giving the final texture.
- Cold water
- Fills the jars around the spears so little air remains, and provides the boiler's heating medium.
The step that matters
Boil steadily for three hours. Sustained boiling heats the jars long enough to destroy spoilage microbes. Jars must be filled to overflowing first, because leftover air can let food spoil and weaken the seal.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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