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How to freeze broccoli

So you bought or grew too much broccoli and you know you’ll never use it up in time. It’s your freezer to the rescue! Broccoli can easily be frozen and its healthy fiber and nutrients preserved for enjoying at a later date. The best part? The process is actually really simple. Here’s how: Also learn about 13 foods you should never freeze. Selecting the best broccoli Broccoli is a cool-weather crop. While any head can be frozen using this method, the tastiest results come when you freeze the ripest, freshest heats. Choose fresh broccoli at the market or at the store in early summer or mid-to-late fall. Or, even better, grow your own! Look for heads that are dense and firm. If buds are showing a hint of opening, opt for another. Prepare broccoli heads Remove any leaves and chop off any tough, woody stalks. You can also use a vegetable peeler to scrape…

4 ways to cook asparagus

No other vegetable symbolizes the start of spring more than long, slender asparagus. The succulent spears begin to appear in home gardens sometime in early April — with the promise of strawberries and longer days of sunshine right on their heels. While asparagus (part of the lily family) is available in grocery stores year-round these days, the best flavor and texture comes from just-harvested local stems. The earliest shoots are called “sprue,” and they’re usually very tender. Asparagus can be enjoyed tossed in a pasta salad, included in a casserole, or suspended in a quiche, but it’s also delicious perfect when cooked and eaten all on its own. If you’ve created a habit of cooking asparagus stalks the same way every time, perhaps it’s time to try this vegetable another way. We get asparagus for as little as two months of the year, so act fast! Try this roasted asparagus…