Preparing Asparagus for Canning: Spears or Pieces1
United States Department of Agriculture, Extension Service2
Quantity: An average of 24-1/2 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 16 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A crate weighs 31 pounds and yields 7 to 12 quarts -- an average of 3-1/2 pounds per quart.
Quality: Use tender, tight-tipped spears, 4 to 6 inches long.
Procedure: Wash asparagus and trim off tough scales. Break off tough stems and wash again. Cut into 1-inch pieces or can whole.
Hot pack -- Cover asparagus with boiling water. Boil 2 or 3 minutes. Loosely fill jars with hot asparagus, leaving 1-inch headspace.
Raw pack -- Fill jars with raw asparagus, packing as tightly as possible without crushing, leaving 1-inch headspace.
Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to the jars, if desired. Add boiling water, leaving 1-inch headspace.
Adjust lids and process as recommended in Table 1 or Table 2 according to the method of canning used.
Tables
Recommended process time for asparagus in a dial-guage pressure canner.
Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of |
||||||
Style of Pack |
Jar Size |
Process Time |
0- 2,000 ft |
2,001- 4,000 ft |
4,001- 6,000 ft |
6,001- 8,000 ft |
Hot and Raw |
Pints |
30 min |
11 lb |
12 lb |
13 lb |
14 lb |
Quarts |
40 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
|
*After the canner is completely depressurized, remove the weight from the vent port or open the petcock. Wait 10 minutes; then unfasten the lid and remove it carefully. Lift the lid with the underside away from you so that the steam coming out of the canner does not burn your face. |
||||||
Recommended process time for asparagus in a weighted-guage pressure canner.
Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of |
||||
Style of Pack |
Jar Size |
Process Time |
0- 1,000 ft |
Above 1,000 ft |
Hot and Raw |
Pints |
30 min |
10 lb |
15 lb |
Quarts |
40 |
10 |
15 |
|
*After the canner is completely depressurized, remove the weight from the vent port or open the petcock. Wait 10 minutes; then unfasten the lid and remove it carefully. Lift the lid with the underside away from you so that the steam coming out of the canner does not burn your face. |
||||
Footnotes
This document is Fact Sheet FCS 8301, a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: May 2003. Revised: July 2005. Reviewed: May 2011. This document was extracted from the Complete Guide to Home Canning, Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA. Please visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
Reviewed for use in Florida by Amy Simonne, assistant professor, Food Safety and Quality, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611.
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For more information on obtaining other extension publications,
contact your county Cooperative Extension service.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service,
University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative
Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place,
Dean.
