Garlicky lemon-dill asparagus pickles

Each spring at the Strathcona farmers market, Edgar Farms sells their gorgeous locally grown asparagus. It is a fleeting thing, barely started in May, over by the end of June. Sigh. When we showed up at the market a week early for the first harvest, we had to satisfy ourselves with the asparagus pickles they also sell. Luckily, they were damn good pickles. So good (but expensive!) that I decided, in my pickle-mania (or condi-mentia, if you will) this past weekend to do something similar. And man are these good. We've been eating them straight from the jar as a snack. The recipe I've used is a fairly standard dill pickle recipe with a few extra somethings....

Garlicky lemon-dill pickled asparagus

Makes 6 litres

• 3 + 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus, rinsed
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and bruised and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup very roughly chopped dill
• 1 teaspoon lemon peel (cut into tiny matchsticks)
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 + 1/2 tablespoons corriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoons celery seed
• 2 teaspoons peppercorns
• 2 crumbled bay leaves
• 3 cups white vinegar
• 6 cups water
• 1/2 cup kosher or pickling salt

Snap off the woody ends of each stalk of asparagus and discard. Chop the stems into 3-4 centimetre (1.5 inch) pieces. Pack vegetables into clean jars. Divide the garlic, lemon peel and dill amongst the jars. Combine the dry spices and divide the mixture between the jars as evenly as you can.

Boil the vinegar, water and salt until the salt is dissolved. Pour boiling liquid over the vegetables until covered. Screw lids loosely onto jars and allow them to cool to room temperature before tightening the lids and refrigerating the pickles. These pickles will keep for 2 months in the fridge.

Comments

[Tanna]

I can't wait to try these!!

[Pat]

Faaaabulous! Not just better, but much more reasonable than the seven dollar jars I usually buy. I have only one comment. You say these will last two months in the fridge. I don't think so. Mine will be gone in a week.