MAKES 3 TALL 24-OUNCE JARS, OR 6 TALL 12-OUNCE JARS
Hiking through the mountains on a late spring day can result in a hiker coming across a field full of wild asparagus. Wherever you encounter your asparagus (even if it’s in a grocery store), you’ll want to have a plan to preserve as much of it as you can carry home with you.
2½ cups white wine vinegar
2½ cups water
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 teaspoons dill weed
6 dried chile peppers, or 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons juniper berries
3 pounds asparagus, thin to medium spears, trimmed to fit in your jars
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the vinegar, water, salt, black pepper, dill weed, chile peppers, garlic, and juniper berries to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring to dissolve the salt. Cool until lukewarm.
Put 1 or 2 cloves garlic and 1 or 2 chile peppers from the brine into each jar, then tightly pack in the asparagus. The spears should not come any higher than ½ inch from the rim of the jar. Pour the brine over, evenly distributing the spices, and seal the jars. The pickles will be ready to eat after about 3 days, and will last in the refrigerator for about a week. For long-term storage, can according to the directions here.