Asparagus
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the jars
Use straight-sided quart glass jars to avoid breaking the stalks.
Wash the asparagus and cut to fit upright in the jar.
Pack the asparagus heads up snugly in the jar.
Pour in cold water until the jar is full to overflowing.
Process
Place straw or boards in the bottom of a wash-boiler and stand the jars on this.
Pour in enough cold water to come halfway up the jars.
Boil steadily for three hours.
Check that jars are full to overflowing; if not, fill with boiling water.
Put on rubbers and fasten the covers tightly.
Store
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 vegetable itself, which is packed upright and holds its texture through the long boil.
The step that matters
Keep the jars full to overflowing. Headspace left in the jar lets air remain around the asparagus, which can spoil the contents. Topping up with boiling water before sealing removes that air and keeps the jar full.
“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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