How To Pickle Your Panic-Bought Veggies

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I'm not saying that I panic-bought groceries and stored up enough to feed my family for a month and now my balcony looks like a supermarket storage area, but Monday morning I found myself dropping off my daughter at nursery and dragging my ayi to the local supermarket with two IKEA bags in hand.

On our way back home all I could think of was how this could turn out to be nothing more than me panicking for no reason, and how most of my groceries are going to end up wasted. But fret not!

Two years ago I had an editor who went through a serious pickling craze, and we had delicious pickles in the office for months. If he could do it, anyone can.

It's so easy and delicious that it makes for a great family activity with even young kids.

Here's your guide to a quick pickle

A quick pickle can be ready in about 48 hours, and doesn't require many ingredients. Since they're ready so quickly these pickles don't develop the deep flavors that fermented pickles have, but their flavor intensifies over time and they last for about two months in the fridge. Best of all, once you get the idea of how to make a basic brine you can literally pickle any vegetable you want.

Pro tip: Green veggies can be blanched in boiling water for two to three minutes first, then shocked in icy water to preserve their color.

Preparing your veggies is pretty easy. You can cut them however you like, but pro picklers recommend the following:

Thinly slice: cucumbers, summer squash, ginger, red onion

Cut into spears: carrots, cucumbers

Peel: carrots

A basic pickling brine is super simple. It's equal parts vinegar and water. Any basic vinegar will do just fine – white, apple cider, white wine, or rice are all ok to use as the brine. Balsamic is not ...

To add a unique flavor to your pickle, spicing it up with ingredients like garlic, dill, red pepper flakes, ginger, thyme, or coriander will help give it a subtle kick.

Pro tip for kicking the flavors up a notch

Fresh herbs: dill, thyme, oregano, and rosemary hold up well

Dried herbs: thyme, dill, rosemary, oregano, or marjoram

Garlic cloves: smashed for mild garlic flavor, or sliced for stronger garlic flavor

Fresh ginger: peeled and thinly sliced

Whole spices: mustard seed, coriander, peppercorns, red pepper flakes

Ground spices: turmeric or smoked paprika are great for both color and flavor

To make the brine, place the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar (if you want a sweeter flavor) in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Pour the brine over the vegetables, filling each jar to within 1/2 an inch of the top.

Gently tap the jars against the counter a few times to remove all the air bubbles. Top off with more brine if necessary. Then screw on the lids as tightly as possible.

Let the jars cool to room temperature before storing them in the fridge. The pickles will improve with flavor as they age, so try to wait at least 48 hours before cracking them open.

Pro Tip: These pickles are not canned. They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two months. If you process and can the jars, they can be stored at room temperature unopened.

Images: Pexels

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