Probiotic Rich Asparagus Pickles (Fermented Asparagus!)
A big probiotic boost and delicious salty, sour bite from your fresh spring asparagus!
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water
- 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp sea salt
- 3 cloves of garlic smashed
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp fresh dill OR 1 ½ tsp dried dill
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 bunch of asparagus woody ends discarded (spears should fit into a quart mason jar with a good inch of headspace at the top. Trim up the ends if you need to accommodate this)
Instructions
- Dissolve the sea salt into the warm water and set aside. This is your brine to pour over the asparagus later.
- Put the garlic, mustard seeds, dill, and red pepper flakes into a clean, 1 quart mason jar. Then the pack the asparagus spears into the jar as tightly as you can.
- Pour the salt water brine over the packed in asparagus and spices, leaving 1 inch of headspace at the top. Be sure the asparagus is completely submerged under the brine (I like to use a weight, like this Pickle Pebble to keep the veggies down).
- Seal your jar with your fermenting seal of choice. I use these Pickle Pipes<. See the above section about sealing options.
- Let the sealed jar sit at room temperature until the taste is to your liking, anywhere from 1-3 weeks. You can taste them every few days to see where they are at. Remember that if you live in a warm climate, the fermenting will go faster. It is still quite chilly up here, and so my veggie ferments take more like 2-3 weeks to get to where we like them.