It’s fresh asparagus season – one of my favorite times of the year! We eat lots of asparagus every spring; in stir-fries, grilled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, steamed with lemon-pepper, even on pizza. But I always like to put some up as pickles too.
I’ve been on a pickle kick lately (see here for our Pickled Cauliflower and here for Pickled Carrots). Pickled vegetables are a great way to jazz up your meals, especially in the late winter, early spring time when the grocery store vegetables are looking a little worse for the wear. Pickles have other benefits too. Eating pickles helps you lose weight – the sourness decreases your appetite – and many people swear that the vinegar helps to keep them healthy by boosting immunity. Pickled asparagus and other vegetables make an quick, easy, and unusual appetizer. Plus, your guests will think you are brilliant when they find the pickled asparagus is homemade. Just bask in the glow – they don’t have to know how easy it is! (Of course, some days the pickling gods are just grouchy. Read about my less-than-perfect pickling experience here.)
This recipe is adapted from the Pickled Asparagus with Mustard Seed recipe found in Put ’em Up! by Sherri Brooks Vinton. I was fortunate to hear Ms. Brooks-Vinton speak last year at the Mother Earth News Fair. She was friendly and engaging with an obvious love of all things preserving.
This recipe makes 3 quarts of pickled asparagus.
Recipe:
- 8 lbs. asparagus, washed and trimmed
- 8 cups cider vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup pickling salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 Tbsp celery seed
- 2 Tbsp mustard seed
- 2 tsp peppercorns
Trim the asparagus to lengths about 1 inch shorter than the quart jars. Tip the clean jars on their side and pack with the asparagus. Note: I use tongs for this step. Add one peeled garlic clove to each jar.
In a medium saucepan (not aluminum) combine vinegar, water, salt, sugar, celery seed, mustard seed, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Remove from heat.
Using a ladle and funnel, fill the jars with the water/vinegar brine mix. Leave 1/2 inch of headspace.
Carefully run a nonmetallic utensil down inside of jars to remove trapped air bubbles. Wipe jar tops and threads clean. Place lids on jars and screw bands on firmly. Process in boiling water canner for 20 minutes.
Let sit for 2-3 weeks before enjoying!
How many pints does this recipe make?
Katie, I usually don’t make pint jars of pickled asparagus because you lose so much of the asparagus spear. But there’s no reason why you can’t make pints. I would assume since the recipe makes 3 quarts, it should also make about 6 pints. Good luck!
For years, literally years, I watched my mother (Oregon) and mother-in-law (Oklahoma) pickle just about every vegetable grown. They used the same ingredients and the same process; wash, pack, pour and put it on the shelf. They didn’t put it in a water bath kettle, that’s for fruit, meat and unpickled veg’s. For 60 years, I have done the same and my pickled veg’s are still good the next year.
Melinda, thank you so much for visiting my site. I do try to keep my recipes up to date, but most of all, I want to ensure that they are safe. We know so much more about safe canning today than we did years ago, so the recommendations have changed over time. You are correct that most fruit should be water bath canned. Vegetables and meats should be pressure canned though. It is extremely unsafe to water bath can low acid fruits, vegetables, and meats/fish.
Safety recommendations for at least 40 years have been for all fresh pack pickles to be water bath processes as well. I have a Ball Blue Book from 1982 that calls for water bath processing, as well as a 1942 canning book that recommends water bath processing for most pickles (although not all). Think of water bath processing as an extra step to assure the product stays safe from not just nefarious bacteria like botulism, but also helps keep the product quality good for a longer period of time. Another thing to keep in mind with older recipes, is that vinegar used to be sold at 7% acidity, and now is usually sold at 5% acidity. Therefore, if the recipe calls for both vinegar and water, the vinegar amount should always be equal to or more than the water amount. I am glad that you have not run into any problems canning thus far, but do recommend that you start water bath processing your pickles going forward. Have a wonderful canning season!
Will this method ensure I store the asparagus in the pantry until opened, I don’t want to poison anyone, including myself. But I love picled asparragus and green beans from a jar, but they are very expensive.
Thank you
Paty, as long as you follow the directions the pickles are fine to store on the shelf. Make sure that the vinegar is at least 5% acid. Absolutely process in a water bath using the correct procedure (check out our tutorials if you aren’t familiar with this) and don’t add any extra ingredients. Always a good idea to wash the asparagus first too of course! Enjoy. I make pickled asparagus and/or green beans every year. You might like our pickled Brussels sprouts too. https://www.seedtopantry.com/2013/09/10/pickled-brussels-sprouts-canning-and-preserving-month/