The best pickled vegetable recipes

 pickled vegetable recipesPickled vegetables are an amazing way to store your summer’s harvest of vegetables. Pickling is a great method of preserving vegetables all year long and prevents you from needlessly throwing food away. As an additional benefit, the spicy brine brings a lot of flavor and zest to the table. Adding pickled vegetables to your everyday meals elevates your dishes to the next level by adding a mouthwateringly crunchy and spicy layer. Dive in for some amazing pickled vegetables recipes!

Pickling vegetables is easier than you think

Pickling might seem like a daunting prospect, but with our straightforward guide it hopefully becomes much more manageable. You don’t need expensive tinning equipment, our quick pickled vegetables require a bunch of mason jars with lids and some space to store them. You don’t even need that many vegetables, you can easily pickle just a jar worth of green beans or carrots from your garden.

What exactly is pickling?

Pickled produce is one of the few culinary arts that are universal around the world. Nearly every culture has its own traditional recipe for pickling vegetables. From pickled cabbage (Korea), through chutneys (India), to pickled cucumbers, pickled carrots, and pickled beets (Central Europe), pickling is an excellent way to preserve your fresh veggies. 

The art of pickling is divided into two schools depending on which pickling solution is used: acid or salty brine. The first one uses highly acidic solutions, such as white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, or white wine vinegar. This pickling liquid creates an environment which is unsuitable for bacteria and other microorganisms to thrive.  The most prominent example of this type of pickling are your run-of-the-mill store pickled vegetables, such as dill pickles or pickled onions.

The other way focuses on submerging fresh vegetables in a salt brine. This encourages fermentation, allowing “good” bacteria to grow and fight off the less desirable strains. The best example of this technique is kimchi, a traditional Korean side dish made out of spicy cabbage. Vegetables pickled in this way usually have a distinct sour flavor, which can be further enhanced by a plethora of herbs and spices.

What can you pickle?

With just a tiny bit of research and experimentation, you can pickle almost anything, from fresh veggies to meat, fish, and even eggs. This article, however, focuses on pickling vegetables. You can check out our site for more pickling recipes. Most major vegetables can be preserved by pickling. The most common products pickled in Western countries include cucumbers, white and red cabbage, green olives, and summer squash. Other examples of good pickled foods are capers, garlic, onions, carrots, cauliflower, and beans.

What is a quick pickle?

Quick pickles are also known as refrigerator pickles. Quick pickling involves brining fresh veggies in a pickling liquid and storing them in the refrigerator. The basis for the pickling solution usually consists of vinegar, water, and salt. To add more layers of flavor to your quick pickle vegetables, you can add fresh herbs and spices. These include red onion, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, fresh dill and dill seed, celery seeds, red pepper flakes, crushed garlic, bay leaf, and mustard seeds. You can try to experiment with dried herbs to put your personal twist on your refrigerator quick pickled veggies. Some quick pickle recipes call for added sugar. You can usually do without it, but we've found that it emphasizes the individual flavor of each vegetable.

How do you make quick pickled vegetables?

The following recipe for quick pickle vegetables was inspired by Giardiniera, a traditional Italian way to make quick pickled vegetables. Usually made with seasonal vegetables, and stored in pint jars, the Giardiniera is an excellent way to prevent having to throw out your vegetable surplus. Furthermore, it requires barely any prep time, these really are quick pickles.

What ingredients do you need?

We recommend using the following mix of fresh vegetables in your quick pickle:

  • Baby carrots

  • Celery

  • Cauliflower

  • Bell pepper

  • Green olives

  • Red onions

  • A few slices of chili pepper

Then you need to prepare the spice blend:

  • Bay leaf

  • Crushed garlic

  • Mustard seed

  • Dill seed

  • Coriander seeds

  • Fennel seeds

Finally, the brine ingredients:

  • Water

  • White vinegar

  • Kosher salt

  • Sugar

Preparation

Chop all of the fresh produce into small bite sized pieces. You may want to leave the baby carrots unchopped for visual presentation. Remember to rinse and drain the green olives, we'll be making our own stronger pickle brine. Spread the chopped produce into as many glass jars as you want, we usually go with enough fresh vegetables to fill four pint jars.

Next, prepare the brine. Set a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil and stir well. Carefully pour the boiling water into each jar. Remember to leave some space at the top so your mason jars are not quite full. Be careful when handling hot liquid, pour the brine slowly and steadily! Take a wooden spoon or spatula and stir the contents well in order to help all the air bubbles that might be trapped to escape.

Allow the pickled vegetables to cool to room temperature, it should take at least an hour. Cover each glass jar tightly with a lid, shake it well, and refrigerate. They need at least two days (48 hours) in your refrigerator before they are ready to be served. If you find your pickled veggies too salty for your taste, remove about a third of the brine and replace it with fresh cold water.

This method of brining should keep your refrigerator pickled veggies ready for consumption for at least four weeks. They can last for up to five months if prepared properly.

Nutrition facts

Although quick pickles sound delicious, can they be considered healthy? Luckily, quick pickled vegetables are devoid of saturated fat, and extremely low on nutrition calories which makes them a great side dish or even a snack on their own.