**This recipe is acidified using vinegar to pickle the asparagus and is made for water bath canning.***
So last Tuesday I pickled 6 lbs of asparagus using a recipe I hadn’t tried before. It wasn’t actually a recipe, it was more of an experiment. I began canning in 2008 and back then I used standard Mason jars to pickle with. But three years ago, I learned that the canning jar lids have BPA in the lining of the lids. Ever since, I have been hoarding Weck jars. They are more expensive, but I LOVE them. If you follow my blog on a regular basis, you have likely already learned about my infatuation with WECK jars, but if not, you can read about it here. That said, the one problem I have run into is that I never know how many jars to clean or how many jars a recipe will yield because the jars that I use are all different sizes. (It is easier to eyeball with jams and harder with brines). The perk of this is that I am usually forced to quickly materialize a solution which has so far ended up with positive results and new favorite recipes.
I actually pickled 12 lbs of asparagus last week but the second “experimental recipe” didn’t turn out as well so I won’t be sharing that one. I was trying to hold out for two weeks before I tried the first batch I pickled, but with urging from my daughter, we decided to bust into a jar a week early and I’m sure glad we did. WOW! These are good. I’ve pickled asparagus in the past but this time the recipe was very different and very simple. I’d describe the flavor to be similar to a garlicky pickle; an asparagus pickle. They are perfect.
After tasting one spear, I decided I needed to try it out in a Bloody Mary. So I did.
MmmmMmmm… yep, just as expected: Delicious
So here’s what you’ll need to recreate this awesomeness…
Ingredients:
- 6 lbs of fresh picked asparagus
- 1 Tablespoon of dried dill seed
- 1.5 bulbs of garlic (15-20 cloves), cleaned and slivered
- 1/2 cup of pickling salt (honestly, you could do less)
- 4 cups of white, distilled vinegar
- 4 cups of water – we use water from our reverse osmosis
- 1 Tablespoon of red pepper flakes (optional – add more for more spice)
- Jalapenos (optional)
You may need more or less brine depending on the jars you are using. I used 4 small asparagus jars and 2 large asparagus jars. If you are using standard Mason jars, then you will likely be fine with the amount of brine.
I bought my asparagus from the local farmer’s market. It was picked on Friday and canned by Sunday. Can’t really ask for anything fresher unless I grew it myself. I prefer to use medium-sized stalks, for some reason the really large ones totally turn me off. But use whichever floats your boat, they are going to taste great either way!
Clean the asparagus thoroughly. Snap off the ends at their natural point of breakage. (If that doesn’t make sense to you then just cut off the bottom 2″ or so). After it is all cleaned, blanch it. To blanch asparagus, heat a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. Put the asparagus in the boiling water for 60 seconds and carefully remove.
Then promptly place the asparagus in an ice bath to stop them from cooking.
Then set them on paper towels to dry off some.
At this point, you’ll need to trim the asparagus to fit in your jars. The cut-off 1″ or 2″ can be used in a soup, or sautéed, or simply pickled with the rest of the group. I always pickle the extra cut-off part. Remember to leave 1/2″ of head space in the jar.
Peel, rinse and sliver the garlic.
Put together the brine. In a large pot, combine the vinegar, water, pickling salt, dill seeds and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil.
While the brine is heating up, divvy up the garlic among your jars. Begin packing the jars with asparagus. You want to pack them as tightly as you can without damaging any of the spears. I use a stainless steel chopstick to aid me in this task. Add jalapenos if you are looking for some spice.
Once you have all your jars packed, grab your funnel and pour the hot brine in the jars, leaving 1/2″ head space. Wipe the rims of your jars with a clean cloth, put on the lids and process for 10 minutes. If you are unfamiliar with water bath canning, please visit this resource.
Try your best to wait for these guys to pickle before devouring. The longer you wait, the better they’ll taste!
Enjoy!
What is your favorite pickled treat?
Did you have jalapenos in those we tried yesterday? They weren’t spicy at all, just very tasty.
Nope, no jalapenos in those. I only put them in 2 of the 12 jars since I know how much the little one likes asparagus. Now that I know these taste so good, I sort of want to make another 6 lbs but all spicy!
This looks so good and easy. Had never thought of canning asparagus myself, thanks!
Yeah, they are great to have with sandwiches too! Or even just to snack on!
Thank you for sharing this yummy in your tummy recipe!
You are welcome! Thanks for reading!
Hey Stephanie,
Did they turn out with a bit of crunch to them, in other words, not too soft? I want to try this but am hoping they’ll be the way we like them…with a bite. You know I trust your judgment. 🙂
P.S. Awesome write ups in your new blog. I’m proud of you. <3
Patty
Thanks for the compliment! They do have a little crunch to them, but if you wanted more then you could try using thicker spears than I did or just not blanch them at all. Some canners never blanch them but I’ve personally never done it that way. It sure would make the process quicker though 😉
Looks and sounds absolutely yummy. Checking out those cool looking jars now!
Let me know if you need any advice about those jars… ie: which sizes are best for what or the best places to purchase them from.
I’ve never really been a fan of asparagus, but this looks like it could be good!
The entire taste is different once it’s pickled. Give it a try! If you don’t end up liking them, I guarantee you will find someone to pawn them off on!
Love asparagus and this looks so delicious.
I st finished canning my first batch. The asparagus lost that beautiful deep green color. 🙁
I’m sticking one batch in the fridge without processing in the hot water bath. Wish there was a way to keep it from going khaki.
Hi Kate, so sorry to hear about your asparagus turning brown. I’ve never had that happen before. Can you send me a picture at minnesotafromscratch (at) gmail (dot) com? I just did a couple quick searches and it says it can be caused from over cooking. Did you blanch the asparagus for the recommended time? I’m also going to e-mail you in case you don’t get a notification for my reply.
Hey Kate – I emailed you some options and I am just following up after our convo… hope things worked out for your next batch!
When you say process, do you use a pressure canner or do you just do a hot water bath?
Hot water bath!
Do you use a pressure canner or regular ‘hot water bath’ canner?
Regular water bath canner – 10 mins here in MN but it depends at the sea level you are at.
How long do I process in a hot water bath at sea level? And, could I half the recipe since I just want to try it out for now? Thanks
I love pickled asparagus! Definitely want to make this one at home, its been so long! Thank you for sharing!
Can you do the same with green beans? 10 minute hot water bath also? Thanks!
Yes – if you are pickling them. If canning in water then you’ll need to pressure can. Thank you!
can’t wait to make these. 🙂
I’m just getting ready to start canning. Does this one require a pressure cooker or can you do the water bath method?
Because you are pickling it and adding acidity to the asparagus, you can water bath can it!
Just making sure, dill seed or dill weed and …no sugar? Yay!
Either one works!
Process in hot water bath or pressure. If the latter please share details. Thank you. Kitty Hall
Hi Kitty!
This is a water bath canned recipe. If you aren’t familiar on the process, you can learn here: https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html
Thanks,
Stephanie
Boiling water bath for processing or pressure.
This pickle recipe is for water bath canning. If you aren’t familiar, you can visit this resource: https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html
This is the first recipe that I found that blanches the asparagus first. Doesn’t that make for mushy pickles?
Nope – not mushy at all.