I finally found the time to make a batch of pickled asparagus tonight. It was my first attempt at pickling and it was satisfyingly easy. I’ll write up the details tomorrow. However, there’s one little tip I wanted to share with you all.
You see, the particular recipe I followed called for the asparagus to be blanched for just ten seconds prior to being packed into the jars. After I retrieved all the asparagus bits from the pot of water, I set aside the now bright green blanching water and poured it into a pitcher to cool down. Tomorrow, when it’s room temperature, I’ll water my houseplants with it, giving them a hit of the nutrients that transferred from the asparagus into the water.
As we all move forward into the heart of the pickling and canning season, this is a great way to reuse that vitamin-rich water (you can also do this when you steam/blanch veggies for dinner).
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I love that idea! Perhaps this’ll be enough of a “good deed” for the plants that I’ll stop having nightmares that I’ve sentenced my garden to a slow and painful death…
1. Holly added these pithy words on
Apr 22 09 at
9:22 am
2. If you have a yard and a garden, you can do this on a larger scale than I’m able to do it my apartment. Keep a bucket in the kitchen and use it to gather all your cooking/rinsing water. The veggies benefit and you conserve water.
3. Marisa added these pithy words on
Apr 22 09 at
1:11 pm
if it soup making season, use the blanching water instead of stock or water when making soup – as long as the flavors are compatible of course….
That’s another good use for blanching water, especially if you plan on making asparagus soup from all the ends that get cut off after pickling. -Marisa
4. Sylvie, Rappahannock Cook & Kitchen Gardener added these pithy words on
Apr 26 09 at
12:26 pm
