Pickled Kale stems and asparagus. 

This was a test to see if Kale stems could be eaten if they were pickled first. And I have always wanted to pickle asparagus…so why not pickle them both at the same time? 

The texture of both the veggies was amazing after they where done. The kale stems were crip and edible, if not a little fibrous, and the asparagus was wonderfully crip and tender. However I did not follow a brine recipe and my the flavor really was not great. I made the mistake of trying to pickle garlic scrapes along with some garlic cloves, and everything turned out too garlic-y. One or the other would have been fine. 

So I will just suggest just the method!

Method: 

1—Cut vegetables into 3-4 inch long slivers 

2—Bring some water to boil in a pot. Place vegetables in the boiling water and blanch them for 1 minute. 

3—Pour vegetables into a colander and run cold water over them to stop them from cooking further.

4—Make the brine of your choice!

5—Place vegetables in a large jar or heat safe container and pour the hot brine over them. Let sit until cool, then place in the refrigerator, after which they can be kept there for a month or more.

Enjoy!