Dilly Pickled Asparagus

The tomatoes have their first blossoms. I check them every morning and report to Liam through the glass and he says "mato" with satisfaction and I say "not yet" and he accepts this. He's learning that things take time. This is a lesson that takes most people decades and he's getting a version of it at fourteen months via a tomato plant on a fire escape, which I think is a reasonable pedagogical approach.

Diane, my new patient, is handling treatment with the brisk competence she handles everything. She grades papers in her hospital bed—she's taking medical leave but still doing the end-of-year grading because she won't let the substitute teacher final-grade her students' work, which is both admirable and slightly alarming. She asks me excellent questions about her treatment and takes notes. On Thursday she asked about the side effects of the second phase of her protocol and I explained them carefully and she wrote them all down and then closed the notebook and said "alright, I've taught harder classes than this." I believed her.

Made strawberry jam this weekend. First time. The fire escape garden won't produce strawberries—I don't have the space for it—but the strawberries at the market are perfect right now and I had two pounds and a half hour and the canning supplies I bought at Christmas and never opened. Four jars. I labeled them "May 2019." Liam watched me pour the jam into the jars with both hands on the counter edge and the word "mato" repeated hopefully, which is not the right call for jam but I appreciate the effort.

Once I opened those canning supplies for the strawberry jam, I couldn’t stop thinking about what else was sitting at the market just asking to be put in a jar — and the asparagus this time of year is too good to leave behind. The pickled asparagus felt like the natural next project: same jars, same afternoon energy, and something that would still feel like May long after May is over.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 25 min (plus 48 hrs resting) | Servings: 2 pint jars

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh asparagus, washed and woody ends trimmed
2 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
2 cups water
2 tbsp pickling salt
4 cloves garlic, peeled
4 sprigs fresh dill (or 2 tsp dried dill seed)
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tsp whole black peppercorns

Instructions

Prepare jars. Sterilize 2 pint-sized canning jars and lids by boiling them for 10 minutes. Keep warm until ready to fill.
Trim asparagus. Cut asparagus spears to fit upright in your jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Trim all spears to the same height.
Make the brine. Combine white vinegar, water, and pickling salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove from heat.
Pack the jars. Place 2 garlic cloves, 2 dill sprigs, 1/2 tsp peppercorns, and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (if using) into each warm jar. Pack asparagus spears in tightly, tips facing up.
Add brine. Ladle hot brine over asparagus, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Run a clean knife along the inside of each jar to release air bubbles. Wipe rims clean.
Seal. Place lids and rings on jars, fingertip-tight. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes if shelf-stable storage is desired, or simply refrigerate immediately (they’ll keep refrigerated for up to 2 months without water-bath processing).
Rest and label. Let jars cool completely on a towel-lined counter. Label with the date and refrigerate. Wait at least 48 hours before opening — the flavor deepens considerably with time.

Nutrition (per serving, approx. 3 spears)

Dilly Pickled Asparagus — The Canning Supplies Finally Come Off the Shelf