The Best Pickled Asparagus Recipe

May 26, 2014 - 39 Comments

The title of this post may have lead you to believe that this is the best pickled asparagus recipe. And that, my friends, would be a correct statement.

Though I'm not sure where the recipe originated, as many of these preserved and pickled foods go, I do know that I've been using it successfully for over five seasons now and am ever impressed by it's spicy deliciousness.

Yes, deliciousness is a word.

Okay, that was a lie. But who cares. You get my point. This recipe is FANTASTIC. Hence the title: the best pickled asparagus recipe.

And yes, as you may have guessed from the creamed asparagus soup recipe we made last week, it's still asparagus season around these parts. Asparagus, strawberries, lettuce, and spinach are the first beauties to show their faces this time of year. And as we anxiously anticipate the full-blown preservation season that we're heading into, it's nice to begin slowly with the preservation of asparagus.

Though it's possible to freeze asparagus, my favorite asparagus consumption is as follows:

1. Eat it like a glutton from when it first appears to when it's out of season

2. Pickle it

Maybe it's because I've been pregnant three times in the last four years that I love this recipe so much. After all (stereotypical-pregnant woman here) I love all things pickled when I'm pregnant. I also love warm baths, food rubs, and afternoon naps. Ahem. But regardless of the reason I love pickled asparagus, I know you'll love it too. And it's not too late to get some put up for your winter enjoyment!

The Best Pickled Asparagus Recipe

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For each quart jar, you will need:

– 1 clove of garlic

– 1/2 teaspoon organic red pepper flakes

– 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

– 1 teaspoon organic dill

– 1 teaspoon organic dried oregano

– 1 teaspoon organic mustard seeds

– 1/2 teaspoon organic black peppercorns

– 10-2o spears of fresh & local asparagus, depending on spear size

Directions:

1. Wash and sterilize your mason jars. Line up on the counter like little ducks in a row.

2. Into each jar, put the garlic, red pepper flakes, sea salt, dill seeds, dried oregano, mustard seeds, and black peppercorns.

3. Wash the asparagus and cut the bottom of the stem off so that the asparagus fits into the quart jar. Gently stuff each quart jar with as many asparagus spears as it will hold.

4. You should now have quart jars shoved full of spices and asparagus spears – correct? Correct.

5. Heat up a vinegar brine to near boiling – 50% filtered water to 50% white vinegar. The amounts you'll need will vary depending on how many quart jars you're processing.

6. Once the vinegar brine is heated up, gently pour it into each asparagus filled quart jar, leaving 1/4″ head space at the top. Secure a sterilized lid and band onto each quart jar.

7. Process the asparagus for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath canner. Gently remove and set on the counter to seal.

Stuart and I put up 25 pounds of asparagus in just under and hour and a half – not too bad for over 15 quarts of pickled asparagus! On top of the other pickled products we put up throughout the summer like green beans and cucumbers, that'll be plenty to see us through the winter.

Did I mention I love pickles? Oh, I did? Perfect. I just wanted to be clear.

I also love getting to see our canning room already filling up with spring goodness. It's been cleaned out and reorganized in preparation for this growing season and is ready to be filled to the gills with peaches, pears, cherries, apricots, relish, jams, pickles, and more!

Trust me – my energy is fleeting. By the end of August, I'll no doubt be cursing canning recipes. But for now, at the beginning of this wonderful season, I'll be thankful for the best pickled asparagus recipe known to man and the joy that it brings my little heart.

And my stomach.

And Amen.

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