About a month ago, T and I went to visit his family in Kelowna for the May long weekend. In Ontario, we call this weekend May 2-4, because it's a chance to buy a 2-4 of beer, go to the cottage, and get rip-roaring drunk on a dock. While this may not be the wisest or safest of decisions, it's tradition. I have to say, however, that I'm really enjoying this new tradition. This was our second time going up to Kelowna for the long weekend and this year we went a bit earlier so we could really enjoy the drive up.
We stopped in at some truly beautiful wineries, including enjoying a marvelous lunch at Quail's Gate. I'd been told by some co-workers, that it's one of the best places to eat in the Okanagan, and neither T nor I were disappointed. We sat on the patio with a beautiful view out over Lake Okanagan, a soft breeze (literally!) blowing through our hair, and 6 bottles of wine in the boot of our car. It was spectacular.
Our drive back from Kelowna, three days later, didn't disappoint either. We stopped at a few more vineyards in OK Falls, a few hours south of Kelowna, and even encountered a doe and her fawn as we passed by Stag's Hollow. Now, I should admit, I am a terrible passenger seat driver. I'm always shouting for T to stop at the last minute and begging him to pull over for fawns and fruit stands alike. Our drive back was no exception. As we were driving en route to OK Falls, I noticed a delicious looking fruit stand right beside the lake that said "fresh Thompson asparagus," and louldy shouted Stop! Because T is a charming fellow he obliged. Soon, nestled into our cooler bag beside a bag of ice, we had three pounds of delicious looking asparagus just wrested from the ground that morning.
A few days later, I turned that fresh asparagus into delicious pickled spears for the Caesars we both so enjoy. We chose a recipe from Tart & Sweet a new canning book out from Kelly Geary and Jessie Knadler. This was my first recipe of theirs and I was excited to get started with this new book. Overall it was really easy to accomplish. The Canadian in me was a little confused as I kept thinking their "quart" jars were larger than my 1L jars, but in the end they weren't. Now I know that a quart is the same as 1L, and a pint is the same as 500 ml, and so on. Thanks go out to T and his skills.
My only other complaint, and this is mostly about my own skills, was that the level of the vinegar solution looked much higher before I boiled the jars. I think I must have forgotten to really check for air bubbles and a few of the spears are sticking out into the open jar. However, I'm going to just believe in the bower of vinegar and have decided to accept this minor imperfection.
As we did these a few weeks ago, we actually just popped our jars open this evening and I have to tell you - these asparagus spears do not disappoint! They are crunchy, sour, and though they could be a little spicier it's mostly my fault for using the wrong pepper. Even T approves, and he's a hard man to impress!
I can't wait to get started on more exciting recipes from this book. From what I hear, the strawberries are almost ready!
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