Mama Lil’s Asparagini Pickled Asparagus

These crisp spears impressed us with their lovely texture—a light crunch, not too chewy or stringy like other pickled veggies can be. Submerged in a brine of garlic, spices and those spicy red Goathorn peppers, Mama Lil’s Asparagini pack big flavor in every jar. We love how the tangy brine complements the vegetal earthiness of the asparagus, while the lingering heat truly takes these beyond your typical pickled veggie.

​ [/description-break] Ingredients [/title]Ingredients: Asparagus, Vinegar, Spices, Crushed Red Chile, Garlic, Sugar, Salt[/accordion] Specifications [/title]​Net Weight: 26.5 ounces
Place of Origin: Portland, OR[/accordions-break] Every summer, Howard Lev’s mother, Lil, planted a crop of Hungarian Goathorn peppers at their Youngstown, Ohio, home.​ [/banner_heading] ​Come harvest, she’d pickle and marinate them in a vibrant mixture of oils and aromatic spices based on a recipe given to her by a Serbian friend. They were the family’s ubiquitous condiment, a jar of the sweet-and-spicy mix always at the center of the table. Later on, Lev’s frustration with being unable to find anything comparable eventually prompted him to launch Mama Lil’s, which sells his mother’s recipe. Unlike similar jarred peppers, which typically are picked and pickled when young and green or yellow, Lev uses peppers that have ripened to orange and red, allowing their natural sweetness to better balance their fiery kick. [/banner-text-break]While these are already a great snack or veggie platter addition as they are, we especially love the crunch factor these pickled asparagus give to decadent sandwiches. Toss them into salads, too—both leafy and mayo-based—for a mouth-watering tang and crisp, refreshing bite. And a spear plunked into a Bloody Mary is always a good idea.[/how-to-use-break] ​KITCHEN NOTES