Milford chronicle., 1929-05-10
USES FOR ASPARAGUS


various requests for suggestions as
to the use and preservation of this
vegetable have come to Miss Pearl
Macdonald, Nutrition Specialist OF
the Extension Department of the
University of Delaware.
Asparagus is one of the early and
most delicate of our vegetables and
every family should not only use it
freely in the diet during the season
but also should can some for use
during the fall and winter months.
Vegetables, explains Miss Mac
Donald, should have large place in
the diet because of their special
contribution to the food needs of the
body machine. Vegetables are one
of the best sources of supply for
mineral matter which is necessary
for growth and maintenance of body
tissues and for helping to regulate
the processes of digestion, use of
foods and elimination of waste pro-
ducts; for vitamins so essential for
normal growth in children and for
the general well-being of every per-
son; for fiber or "roughage" which
helps in the elimination of waste
products. Since the vegetables diff
fer in the amount and kind of min
erals and vitamins present in them,
Miss Macdonald urges people to use
a variety of vegetables, both fresh
and canned, in the diet throughout
the year.
In preparing asparagus, it is best
to steam it in order to save more of
the flavor and as much of the food
value as possible. Wash the aspara-
gus carefully. If the root end of the
stalk is hard, cut off, cook separate
ly, press through strainer and use
the pulp for soup. Lay the tips on
rack in roasting pan, add water
just about up to the rack, cover and
steam until tender. Arrange on plate,
season with butter, pepper and salt.
Or, add little chopped parsley to
the melted butter before pouring
over the asparagus. Or, serve with
White Sauce for which use 1 table
spoonful butter; l to 2 tablespoon
full flour; l cup milk. Melt butter,
stir in flour, add milk, stir until mix
ture boils, season to taste.
Cream of asparagus soup is par
ticularlv nice. Use White Sauce as
given above. Cut tender asparagus
in about u inch lengths and add to
White Sauce. Also, add the pulp
from the hard ends, cooked and
pressed through strainer. A bit of
onion flavor may be added, if desir-
ed.
Asparagus is also very delicious
used in salads. Arrange cooked as
paragus on lettuce leaves, decorate
with rings or strips of red or green
pepper or strips of pimento. Serve
with Mayonnaise dressing; or with
plain French dressin; or with
French dressing to which has been
added some Tomato Ketchup, using
N-cup ketchup to u cup French
dressing; or French dressing to
which has been added tablespoon
full freshly grated horseradish to the
u cup of dressing; or French dress
ing to which has been added 1 table
spoonful mustard to the II cup of
dressing.
Another very delicious dressing
for asparagus is made as follows:
Heat together 2 tablespoonfuls but
ter; 2 teaspoonful mustard; u tea
spoonful sugar; 2 tablespoonfuls
vinegar. Add dash of pepper and of
salt if desired. While hot, pour ov-
er asparagus.
In canning asparagus, observe the
following, continues Miss MacDon-
aid:
Use wide-mouthed jars, if possible,
so that when jars are opened, con-
tents may be removed without
breaking the asparagus. Have jars
with smooth fitting tops and new
rubbers of good quality. Wash jars
and lids thoroughly, rinse, put in
pan, cover with cold water, bring to
boil and boil five minutes. This
sterilizes jars and heats them for
packing hot food.
Have fresh asparagus, wash thor
oughly. Cut tips so that their length
is equal to depth of pint jar, tie in
uniform bundles, place in kettle with
boiling water over the lower, tough
er portion, cover tightly and boil A
to 5 minutes. Or, cut into " to 1
inch lengths, add enough hot water
to cover, boil for minutes in an un-
covered vessel, pack boiling hot into
Jars, add 1 teaspoonful of salt to the
quart jar, fill with boiling water or
liquid in which the asparagus has
been pre-cooked, put on the rubber
rings and covers and seal complete
ly.
If the hot water bath method is
used for sterilization, place jars on
rack in the container so that they
do not touch each other or the sides
of the Gamer. Do not have hot wa
ter in canned cover jars but come
only about half way up on the jars.
Count the time for sterilization from
the point when the water about the
jars actually boils and keep the wa
ter boiling throughout the steriliza-
ton period. Sterilize asparagus 3
hours. When sterilization is COM
plete, remove jars and cool as quick
ly as possible without having jars in
draft.
If the pressure cooker is used,
close pet cock when steam flows
freely from the pet cock. Sterilize
asparagus 40 minutes at 10 pounds
pressure for quart jars and 35 min
utes for pints, counting the time
from the time at which the steam
gauge registers 10 pounds pressure
and keep the pressure at the requir-
ed point throughout. When sterili-
zation is complete, let cool until
gauge is back to zero, open pet cock
slowly to release any steam, take Off
cover, remove jars and cool.