Pickled Asparagus Recipe | Canning Asparagus
Pickled asparagus is an excellent way to preserve this spring time food. This pickled asparagus recipe is extremely easy to make. The steps for canning pickled asparagus allow this items to become shelf-stable in only minutes. Who would have thought canning asparagus would be so easy?
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Pickled asparagus is a food item that pairs perfect with everything. I mean, absolutely everything.
Serve this pickled item with a perfectly grilled steak, with a salad, as a side with eggs Benedict, or, as mentioned above, with a sinfully delicious Bloody Mary.
Maybe, just maybe, if you’re anything like me, it will be devoured straight from the jar. Yep, straight. out. of. the. jar. Without a hesitation. Gone, consumed, inhaled, in one sitting.
This pickled asparagus recipe is truly, honestly, that good. Also, the steps for canning pickled asparagus are extremely easy. You’ll wonder why canning asparagus has never crossed your mind.
However, there is one item which beats pickled asparagus, and that would be pickled garlic. During the pickling process the garlic loses its bite and becomes easy to consume. Well, there’s also pickled golden beets in a white balsamic brine.
Growing and Purchasing Asparagus
An asparagus patch takes years, years, to mature. However, with patience and love a beautiful patch will produce stalks for many years to come.
Due to the long time frame of establishing a patch consider companion planting the asparagus with strawberries.
Purchasing Asparagus in Bulk
Because fresh asparagus is a springtime item it can often be found in many locations. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Bulk purchases. Many markets will offer a discount ranging between a 10 to 20% discount.
- Buy from a local farmer. Cutting out the middle man allows for a greater savings. Keep in mind, many small farms will also offer a discount when purchasing in bulk.
- Forage for it. Asparagus grows like a weed in certain parts of the country.
The Secret to a Crisp Pickled Item
The most commonly asked question in regard to canning pickled items is how to maintain the crunch once it’s been canned. No one wants a soft pickled item, and people try endlessly to discover the secret. Sadly, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but there’s no guarantee an item will remain crisp once it’s been canned. However, you can try these tips which do help to slow the enzymes which causes the fruit or vegetable to ripen.
- Add tannins such as grape, oak, or black tea leaves. Pickle crisp? Nah, you don’t need it.
- Use fresh, I mean, picked that same day, or the day before fresh. The fresher the better.
- Soak the produce in ice water for 30 minutes; this will help to return firmness to the item.
- Cutting the blossom end from cucumbers to slow the ripening process.
Jar size for Pickled Asparagus
In order to put up as much of the asparagus stalk as possible consider investing in Ball 24 ounce mason jars. These jars are specifically designed for pickling asparagus.
In addition to using 24-ounce canning jars for canning, they are excellent drinking glasses.
Acidity Boosters – Citrus Juice and Vinegar
Explore different types of vinegar when pickling items. There is only one important factor to keep in mind: the acidity level of the vinegar must be 5% or higher. Make sure to verify the acidity level for vinegar, many fall below the required 5%.
Bottled citrus juice (lemon or lime) is higher in acidity than fresh. Fresh lemon found in recipes on this site are used for ascetic appeal. More times than not, bottled lemon juice is also included in the recipe when needed.
Blanch the Asparagus Stalks
Blanch the asparagus spears for roughly 10 seconds prior to filling the jars. A quick dip in boiling water opens the pores, allowing for the brine to seep into the spears. The process of blanching allows the spears to pickle quicker.
One final tip, fill jars with the tip of the asparagus face down. This process allows for the stalks to be removed from the jars more easily and intact.
The Sustainable Canning Course
Are you searching for canning classes near you? Look no further! The Sustainable Canning Course is a self-paced series of online classes designed to help you on the road to achieving food ownership.
The Sustainable Canning Course is an extension of my book, The Farm Girl’s Guide to Preserving the Harvest. I wrote this book to help guide those who seek to own their food source the opportunity to do so. It is a comprehensive, easy to understand book covering all methods of home food preservation, canning, drying, fermenting, curing, freezing, and storing fresh foods.
- Understand why pressure canning is necessary to preserve foods.
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- How modern canning tools, such as the steam canner and steam juicer, revolutionized preserving methods.
- Understanding how to decipher information shared by the National Center of Home Food Preservation.
- Discover how easy it is to can meat, fish, soups, and stews.
These topics and many more are available within The Sustainable Canning Course. Reserve your spot now, and begin gleaning the necessary information needed to preserve foods as a modern sustainable homesteader does.
Canning Pickled Asparagus
Ingredients
- Fresh Asparagus, 10 pounds
- White Wine Vinegar (5% acidity), 4 1/2 cups
- Water, 4 1/2 cups
- Dill Weed, 10 tsp
- Fresh Garlic, 10 cloves
- Whole Mustard Seeds, 10 tsp
- Crushed dried Red Pepper, 10 tsp
- Pickling Salt, 1/2 cup
- Fresh Lemon
Pickled Asparagus – Instructions
- Wash and remove wood end of asparagus. Blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds. Once blanched, dip into cold water to stop the cooking process.
- The Brine:
- Add white wine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a stock pot. Bring to a raging boil.
- Fill Jars:
- In each 25 ounce wide mouth mason jar add 1 fresh lemon slice, 1 tsp dill weed, 1 tsp mustard seed, 1 tsp crushed red pepper, 1 clove of garlic, and asparagus. Fill jars until full. Making sure to leave a 1 inch head space.
- Add brine, making sure to leave a one inch head space and remove air bubbles, adjust brine level if needed
- Wipe rims, add warmed lids and rings (rings should be applied finger tight)
- Process for the appropriate time based on your altitude (see blog for processing times)
Note:
When canning pickled asparagus distilled white vinegar can be used in place of white wine vinegar. Ensure the type of vinegar used contains an acidity rate of 5% or higher.
Processing Time Based on Altitude
The processing time for any foods being canned is based on the altitude in which you reside. This applies true to items being hot water bath, steam, and pressure canning. This chart is the processing time for pickled asparagus, please select the correct processing time.
| Process Time at Altitudes of | ||||
| Style of Pack | Jar Size | 0 – 1,000 ft | 1,001 – 6,000 ft | Above 6,000 ft |
| Raw | 24-ounce jars | 15 min | 20 | 25 |
My Book
The Farm Girl’s Guide to Preserving the Harvest is a comprehensive book covering multiple methods for preserving foods in the comfort of your home. Learn how to safely can, dry, ferment, cure, freeze, and store foods fresh as a sustainable homesteader would. The tips, tricks, and recipes within this book will provide you the confidence and knowledge needed to own your food source.
Printable Recipe – Pickled Asparagus Recipe
For your convenience a printable recipe card is available. I truly hope you enjoy my blue ribbon pickled asparagus recipe!
Pickled Asparagus Recipe | Canning Asparagus
Pickled asparagus is a great way to preserve this springtime item. Take a minute to try this blue ribbon recipe which can be enjoyed straight from the jar!
Ingredients
- 10 pound Asparagus
- 4 1/2 cups White Wine Vinegar, (5%)
- 4 1/2 cups Water
- 10 tsp Dill Weed
- 10 cloves fresh Garlic
- 10 tsp Mustard Seed
- 10 tsp dried crushed Red Pepper
- 1/2 cup pickling Salt
- 10 tbsp organic granulated Sugar, (optional)
- 1 fresh Lemon, cut in rounds
Instructions
- Wash and remove wood end of asparagus. Blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds. Once blanched, dip into cold water to stop the cooking process.
The Brine
- Add white wine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a stock pot. Bring to a raging boil.
Fill Jars
- In each 25 ounce wide mouth mason jar add fresh lemon slice, 1 tsp dill weed, 1 tsp mustard seed, 1 tsp crushed red pepper, 1 clove of garlic, and asparagus. Fill jars until full. Making sure to leave a 1 inch head space
- Add brine, making sure to leave a one inch head space and remove air bubbles, adjust brine level if needed
- Wipe rims, add warmed lids and rings (rings should be applied finger tight)
- Process for the appropriate time based on your altitude (see time in blog)
Notes
- The sugar is an option for this pickled recipe and is not needed. It is added to cut back the tangy flavor of the vinegar.
- Blanching speeds up the pickling time. Once canned the jars will need to sit for a minimum of 2 weeks prior to consuming.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
This recipe is not comparable to any other. Also, this pickled asparagus recipe is a million times better than what can be purchased at a local market! Enjoy it, friends. And if you’re feeling generous, share a jar or two.
They’ve just posted that asparagus is coming around where I live – so my question is – do you ever use fresh dill & peppers, instead of dried?
Yes, I often substitute for dried herbs when fresh is not in season. Remember, herbs over time which sit will amplify in flavor. For asparagus size jars I’d add 1/4 teaspoon of dill and how ever much crushed pepper you’d like to add.
Do you have a video for this recipe? I have made it before but need to watch the video to do it again.
I will be creating a YouTube video once the first crop of asparagus is in season, hang tight!
Is this water bath for pickled asparagus? I want to make sure I’m doing this right.
Yes, a hot water bath or steam canner.
How long until they are ready to eat?
2 very long week!
I see bottled lemon juice in the list of ingredients but I don’t see where it tells me how much to use
Hi Tracy, the article needs to be updated, the acidity is good without the lemon juice. Thank you for bringing this to my attention!
this is my first time picking asparagus the process time it says to check blog where is the blog i couldn’t find 24 oz jars and i am using 32 oz jars would that add more time to that?
You can find the processing time in this blog article where you left the comment, take a look under processing time based on altitude. The processing time for quart is the same as it would have been for the 24 ounce jars.
I really don’t understand the quantity of salt in this recipe. I tried it anyway and the asparagus comes out incredibly ‘shrivled’. I believe the salt just sucks all the moisture right out of the stalk.
Maybe this should have been a TBSP or something instead of a half of a cup???
With 9 cups of liquid, a 1/2 of cup is correct. The first question is, how large were your stalks? The next question, how fresh were your stalks? The shriveling affect of your pickled asparagus has nothing to do with salt, but more likely the condition of the asparagus. I’ve only had the asparagus shrivel once in the many years of making this recipe, and that was due to the size of the stalks.
Just got my first batch in the canner, the next 2 weeks are going to drag! I was wondering Ann, what do you do with the asparagus ends? Have you ever made asparagus soup with them and canned that?
I actually freeze the stalk to make stock with, or you can make soup. The ends are going to be a tough, make sure to peel the woody exterior off well prior to making soup.