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Dehydrated Asparagus Powder (woody ends)

It's been raining here since last Thursday, so that makes 7 days of rain straight in a row.  Some days, partial day rain, and others full out thunderstorms. Some days it's been so cold we need jackets, so there has been no good time to work on the gardens (any of them).  A few days the rain has let up, and we got to see a teensy bit of sunlight, but most days have been misty, foggy, rainy, and gray skies.  Oh and colder.  I'm getting a wee bit concerned about planting the garden.  They posted a flood advisory Monday night.

The asparagus patch is about to the end of the harvest season for us.  Although the rain brought up a few more stragglers for us to enjoy.



 May started out with another new "first" for me.  I dehydrated the woody ends, leftover from the asparagus we recently prepared.  You can simply save them in the freezer for soup, but those bags can get buried easily.  Does anyone actually remember they are in the freezer?


I do not know anyone who has dehydrated their woody asparagus ends, so I did as much reading on this as I could find. 

Everything said to blanch the asparagus first, to break down the fiber, for better results.  One Youtube video said to not use an ice bath on the woody ends after blanching, so they would continue to "cook" on the trays as they dehydrate.

A lot of our very first asparagus planting grows up much thicker than the newest plantings, so I sliced those pieces smaller to dehydrate better.

I blanched the woody ends (not to waste them, or you could compost them too), and they were dehydrated, and then ground into a powder.



I'm storing it in a canning jar and vacuum sealing it for now, and adding to it as the asparagus rolls in.  I'm thinking cream of asparagus soup, adding it to any soup or stew, adding to any breakfast or dinner casserole, and it can even be added to homemade taco seasoning.  Nothing wasted, and nothing buried in the freezer.

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Comments

Leigh said…
This is a brilliant idea! There's nothing like dried powdered vegetables to add taste and nutrition to all kinds of winter dishes.
May 7, 2025 at 7:44 AM
🌺 Debby/From My Shasta Home said…
Oh wow that sounds good. What a great idea. Could you use it as a dip? Or salad dressings?
May 7, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Anne in the kitchen said…
That is interesting! Let us know how it works.
May 8, 2025 at 3:57 AM
Pioneer Woman at Heart said…
Debby @My Shasta Home, I am sure you could use it for both. Those are good ideas too.
May 8, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Pioneer Woman at Heart said…
Anne in the kitchen, yes, I will update.
May 8, 2025 at 7:25 AM
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