Quick Pickled Asparagus Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do you have to blanch asparagus before pickling? ›

Pickling asparagus is a fairly straightforward process, but unlike cucumber pickles, includes the extra step of blanching the stalks before canning. While blanching the asparagus is not strictly necessary, it's worth the time investment to allow that tasty brine to fully permeate the stalks.

Asparagus is a low-acid vegetable and must be processed in a pressure canner to be safe.

These good bacteria are essential for digestion and making sure food moves through your gut properly. We've heard great testimonials from some of our regular customers who tried our pickled asparagus and were amazed at how much it helped their digestion.

Refrigerate up to 4 weeks.

Like most vegetables, if frozen raw, the texture, taste, colour and nutritional value of asparagus deteriorates. Make sure you blanch or cook the veg first to preserve these elements.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in asparagus and cook 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Cut spears to the height of the pickle jar.

Don't worry—it's not as bad as it looks. The acidic brine can pull out the liquid inside your asparagus, making it appear shriveled.

Asparagus (Asparagus afficinalus) is a member of the lily family and only grows in the cool spring weather. Therefore, it is a good candidate for freezing, canning and pickling.

Expert Response

What you are probably seeing are rutin crystals. They often occur in canned asparagus and are harmless.

The dietary fiber in asparagus helps your stomach and intestines continue to work normally. Dietary fiber fuels good bacteria, which help your body digest food and absorb important nutrients. Eating enough fiber also helps prevent problems like hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome, or other painful digestive problems.

What happens to your body when you eat asparagus everyday? ›

Kidney health: Asparagus can act as a natural diuretic, helping the body excrete excess salt and fluid, making it especially good for people suffering from edema (swelling) and high blood pressure. It also helps flush out toxins in the kidneys and prevent kidney stones.

Asparagus: Liver enzymes ADH and ALDH have both been found to be elevated with the consumption of asparagus. These enzymes help to metabolize ethanol (alcohol that may have been consumed), and also makes a great hangover remedy, as it protects the liver from contaminates that may lead to scarring or fatty liver.

What are the gray flecks on the asparagus? The gray flecks are RUTIN, a plant based antioxidant, which is harmless. According to the University of Califorina Cooperative Extension, when asparagus is heated with vinegar, the bioflavonoid rutin is drawn out of the asparagus.

These flakes are called rutin and occur naturally in canned asparagus. The spears also may be wrinkled. The acidic brine sometimes pulls liquid out of the asparagus spears. It will probably plump up after setting for about two weeks.

These flakes are called rutin and occur naturally in canned asparagus. The asparagus is perfectly safe to eat as long as it was prepared and processed correctly.

If you're using green vegetables — to make, for example, green bean pickles or zucchini pickles — you can blanch vegetables first in boiling water for two to three minutes and then shock them in an ice bath to preserve their color, but this step is purely optional.

Blanching seasons the spears and also gives them a kick-start in the cooking process. "Whenever you grill, sear, or roast, you're using a really high temperature. Without blanching, you'd char the outside but the inside would still be raw." To blanch, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and salt the hell out of it.

But you can't just freeze fresh asparagus spears. You'll need to blanch them first. Blanching asparagus preserves the color and nutrition, and it keeps the texture and taste as close to fresh as possible. If you freeze raw asparagus, you can expect a mushy, mealy mess when it's used.