Harvesting for the winter: pickled asparagus (recipe)

At one time, asparagus was considered an exotic culture in our country. Although in Europe it has long been called the "queen of vegetables." This delicacy is gaining in popularity over the years. Over time, people learned not only to grow, but also to cook very interesting and delicious dishes from this unique product. Especially many like pickled asparagus. The recipe for its preparation depends on those main ingredients that are used in the process. As an example, you can consider several interesting options.

Spicy snack

To diversify the daily diet, the hostess usually seeks to bring something unusual to the table. This dish can be pickled asparagus. The recipe requires the following ingredients: 0.5 kilograms of asparagus will require a glass of apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of sugar, salt and dill seeds, 2 cloves of garlic, 10 peppercorns and one and a half tablespoons of vegetable oil.

The process takes place in several stages:

1. First, the stems of the plant need to be cleaned. To do this, you can use a knife for vegetables. In mature shoots, the lower part of the stem becomes harsh. Therefore, 2-3 centimeters can be cut off.
2. Sprinkle young asparagus with boiling water, laying it on a colander, and then dry it. Mature stems should be kept in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Then they need to be doused with cold water, and then dried.
3. Fold the prepared sprouts in sterilized glass jars so that the "spears" are at the top.
4. In a saucepan, heat (do not boil) vinegar. And then dissolve salt and sugar in it.
5. Add chopped garlic, butter, dill and pepper.
6. Prepared marinade pour into jars. Close them tightly with lids and refrigerate.

After 6 hours, the product can be safely served to the table as an original snack.

Great addition

Delicate green stems can be a great addition to meat dishes. To do this, they just need a little preparation. It will turn out wonderful marinated asparagus, the recipe of which begins with the selection of the necessary components. So, you will need: 1 bunch of asparagus, a teaspoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of vinegar and soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of sesame oil.

In this case, you must perform the following steps:

• Rinse the asparagus stalks for 4 minutes in boiling water.
• Put them on ice for cooling.
• Dry foods with a paper towel and place on a plate.
• From the remaining ingredients according to the recipe, prepare the marinade and let it brew for about 1 hour.
• Pour the asparagus with the aromatic composition, cover it and put in a cold place for at least 2 hours.

You can even leave them all night. The next morning the product will be a wonderful picnic snack option . Moreover, in the refrigerator it can stand for quite some time. Fragrant pouring is simultaneously a preservative that prevents the product from deteriorating.

Delicate side dish

There is another option, when in just a few minutes you get tender and juicy pickled asparagus. The recipe contains a minimum of ingredients: asparagus, a liter of boiled water, 30 grams of salt and sugar, and 10 grams of citric acid.

The cooking method is extremely simple:

1. The first step is to wash the stems, cleaning them from external pollution. For this, ordinary cold water will be enough.
2. After that, they need to be cut into pieces 10-12 centimeters long.
3. Blanched prepared foods for 5 minutes in boiling water. Pour them with cold water and put in pre-sterilized jars.
4. Pour it by dissolving sugar and salt in water, and then adding citric acid.
5. Fill the jars with a fresh composition.
6. Sterilize products in a water bath. Depending on the volume of the container, this usually takes from 10 to 25 minutes.

After cooling, the product is completely ready for use. It can be served as an independent side dish, lightly seasoned with vegetable oil, or used to prepare other, more complex salads.

Preparations for future use

Each plant product has a period when it can best be eaten. The rest of the time, people have to look for various options in order to keep it suitable for eating for a long time. One of the most popular ways to do this recently is considered pickling. It is based on the action of acid, which is able to suppress the vital activity of microorganisms, leading to food spoilage. This property is used when preparing pickled asparagus. A winter recipe allows you to harvest as much juicy green product as you need.

The list of main ingredients in this case includes: 2 kilograms of fresh asparagus, a tablespoon of salt, 3 cups of water, 3 cloves of garlic, 2 cups of five percent vinegar and a teaspoon of spices used for pickling.

To prepare such a preservation you need:

• Go through the stalks of asparagus and cut off their hard ends.
• Wash products and fill them with clean jars for three quarters of the volume.
• The remaining components are collected in one container and bring the mixture to a boil.
• Pour the marinade into the jars, leaving a little free space on top.
• Cover the container with metal lids and sterilize in a water bath for 15 minutes.

After this, the banks must be rolled up and sent for storage to a cool place.

Product properties

Every housewife should be well versed in products and understand what she serves to the household. Here, for example, pickled asparagus. The benefits and harms of this product have a rather thin line between them. Sometimes in the pursuit of a positive result, you can get unwanted consequences.

To avoid this, it is necessary to clearly imagine all the advantages of this popular plant:

1. Asparagus contains a huge amount of vitamins, minerals and fiber.
2. It has strong diuretic properties, which helps to remove harmful substances from the body in a timely manner.
3. It contains very few calories: 20 units per 100 grams of fresh product. This makes it useful for those who are overweight.
4. Thanks to aspartic acid, it regulates the metabolism of toxins and toxins.
5. Due to the special elements called “coumarins”, asparagus regulates the work of the heart, preventing increased blood coagulation and blood clots.
6. Saponins, which are very numerous in this plant, help with respiratory diseases. They dilute sputum and remove mucus from the bronchi.
7. The product has an anti-inflammatory effect.

Despite this, asparagus also has its drawbacks:

• Saponin, which cleanses the lungs, negatively affects the gastric mucosa. This can cause allergies, gastritis, ulcers, and even diabetes.
• Asparagus is contraindicated in people suffering from cystitis and rheumatism.
• Some people have an individual intolerance to the product.

Knowing these subtleties, you can pre-think your diet.

Good analogue

Just like pickled asparagus, green beans are also harvested for the winter . There are many ways to do this. One of the most popular involves the following ratio of components: for 500 grams of asparagus beans you will need 50 grams of parsley and fresh dill, one and a half grams of horseradish root, a tablespoon of sugar, 10 peas of black pepper, 2 tablespoons of salt, 3 dried cloves, 2 grams of ground cinnamon and 50 grams of table vinegar.

Everything is done quite simply:

1. Fresh beans can first be warmed up a little in a pan in vegetable oil.
2. Prepare marinade from water, sugar, vinegar and salt.
3. Beans spread in sterilized glass jars.
4. Put greens on top and sprinkle with spices.
5. Pour food with marinade and cover with metal lids.
6. Sterilize the jars for 15 minutes by placing them in a water bath.
7. After this, the products need to be rolled up well, turned upside down and cover with a blanket. It is better if cooling will go gradually.

Finished products can be stored in a cool place or in the refrigerator.

Home canning

For those who don’t like pickled asparagus, green beans for the winter with sunflower oil will be a great option for a ready-made snack for any hot meal.

You will need the following set of products: for 4 kilograms of fresh beans in pods, take one and a half liters of water, 200 grams of sugar, half a liter of table vinegar, 150 grams of salt and chopped garlic, ½ kilograms of sweet pepper, 250 grams of vegetable oil, 4 buns of parsley and bitter pepper (optional).

When the products are ready, you can start work:

• First you need to cook the marinade. To do this, put all the products except garlic and herbs in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Add washed beans. The ingredients should cook together for 25 minutes.
• 5 minutes before the end of cooking, add chopped parsley and chopped garlic.
• Arrange the finished product in sterilized jars, tightly seal them with metal lids and turn them upside down.

It is better if the products cool slowly. To do this, they need to be wrapped in a blanket.

A worthy replacement

If pickled asparagus is contraindicated to someone , green beans will be a great substitute. From it, too, you can make an excellent preparation for the winter.

To do this, you need: half a kilogram of beans - 3 cloves of garlic, onion, 100 grams of carrots, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 10 grams of salt, half a liter of water, 5 grams of green chili, 3 peas of allspice and a tablespoon of vinegar.

In this case, the procedure will be as follows:

1. Cut vegetables in any convenient way. They can be turned into small sticks or long straws.
2. Rinse beans, dry and remove, if necessary, hardened areas.
3. Prepare marinade from salt, sugar and water.
4. Fold the products in clean glass jars. Separately pour vinegar on top.
5. Fill the void with marinade.
6. Cover and sterilize for 15 minutes.

After this, the jars should be corked and covered with a blanket and left to cool slowly. In winter, such a ready-made salad will be a real find.