Easy Pickled Asparagus

This is an easy recipe that I created for refrigerator pickles. These kind of pickles are generally done within a week, and are intended to be eaten within a month. I tend to prefer this kind of pickling over the more labor intensive long term pickling mainly because I am lazy and like the flexibility to experiment with various spice combinations. One of the nice things about this recipe is that it does not contain dill, a spice with cross reaction for those with a latex food allergy.

Skip this recipe if you have an allergy to onions or garlic, both asparagus and these ingredients are in the Liliaceae family.

Easy Pickled Asparagus
1/2lb asparagus
3 strips of lemon zest*
3 cloves chopped garlic*
1 tablespoon black pepper corns*
1 tablespoon mustard seeds*
Basic Brine**

1. To prepare the asparagus, hold the asparagus next to the glass jar you will be use for canning. Chop off the last few inches from the fiberous base of the stem until each piece is a length that will fit within the jar with a little bit of room to spare.

2. Either leave the asparagus raw (to be cook via the chemical reaction of being in brine) or steam them slightly if you have any concerns about reactions to raw vs. cooked veges.

3. Place asparagus, garlic, and spices in glass jar. Pour brine in until all parts of the asparagus are submerged.

4. Let sit in the refrigerator for a week, then enjoy!


*These ingredients should be avoided if you have a spice allergy also, or add substitute ingredients depending on flavor preferences.

**Refer to earlier recipe.

Brine for Refigerator Pickles

This is a general purpose brine that I use when making refrigerator pickles. Add spice combinations based on flavor preferences. Double or triple this recipe depending on how much is needed.

Basic Brine
Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup rice vinegar
5 tablespoons fine sea-salt
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) fine white sugar

1. Combine all ingredients in a stainless steel or cast iron enameled pot (avoid aluminum or copper coated pots) and put on low heat.

2. Stir continuously until all signs of sugar crystals are fully dissolved (disappear from sight).

3. Depending on what you are pickling, allow to cool before adding to glass jars with vegetables (if you want your pickles extra crisp) or pour directly onto veges that you want slightly cooked. Remember that the brine solution will also "chemically cook" your veges with time.

4. Store any extra brine in a glass jar, add to your pickling jars as needed (like after eating some pickles or after some of the brine has been absorbed) to keep the containers full of liquid.