"The season is always too short for asparagus fans. With these pickles, you can preserve the flavourful spears and extend the asparagus season in a delicious way. For three 0.5-litre preserving jars you will need

1.8 kilos of green or white, peeled asparagus 750 ml apple cider vinegar 3 tbsp sea salt 3 lemon slices 3 tbsp pickling spice mix* 1 ½ tsp red chilli flakes 3 garlic cloves, peeled

And this is how it works: Place the preserving jars without lids in a large pan of water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Simmer the lids and sealing rubbers separately in a small pan in hot water for a few minutes.

Cut the asparagus spears straight at the bottom so that they fit upright in the jars. Make sure to leave about ½ cm of space between them and the lid. Blanch the asparagus in boiling water for 10 seconds and immediately rinse in ice water. Then bring the apple cider vinegar and salt to the boil in a pan with 750 ml water.

To fill the jars, remove them from the hot water and place a slice of lemon on the bottom of each jar. Add 1 tablespoon of pickling spice and ½ teaspoon of chilli flakes and place the asparagus spears in an upright position. Add 1 lightly crushed clove of garlic to each jar and fill the jars with the boiling vinegar and water mixture. Leave just under a centimetre free at the top. Before closing the jars, tap them lightly on a work surface covered with a cloth to allow any air bubbles to escape. Or stir with a chopstick. Dry the edges of the jars with a cloth and screw the lids on tightly. The filled jars are then placed in the pot with the hot water to sterilise. The jars should always be just covered with water. As soon as the water boils, sterilise for 10 minutes, then remove the jars immediately and leave to cool. Leave to stand for at least 24 hours before tasting the delicacy.

* For the pickling spice, mix 3 tablespoons each of dried and crumbled bay leaves, black peppercorns, Jamaica pepper (Allspice), coriander seeds, brown mustard seeds, juniper berries together with 1 tablespoon each of whole cloves and dill seeds and add a cinnamon stick broken into pieces.

Pour everything into a jar or tin and shake well. The quantity is sufficient to flavour approx. 20 x 500 ml pickle jars."