4.08.2012

quick and irresponsible pickling



I threw a few jars of pickled vegetables together the other day for a cocktail party we were hosting. I did it on a whim, and they are the quickest pickles I've ever made. I say irresponsible, because there was no telling if this was going to be a big waste of produce, not having thought it through much.


Sometimes, I combine parts of several different recipes I find to suit my needs. My greatest need this day was to not have to go back out to the market, so I made do with the vinegars and herbs I already had around the kitchen. 


I found this great canning site called Food In Jars, which confirmed what my research had told me. There is a simple ratio that works in almost all cases for quick pickling:


1 cup water to 1 cup vinegar to 1 tbsp. salt

If you understand the nuances of different vinegars, it'll be easy for you to determine what will taste good with what. I don't, much, so I just threw things together willy nilly.


Simple instructions:
Bring vinegar and water to boil with salt, stirring to dissolve. Add herbs or other seasonings and pour into jar over raw veggies. Let cool completely on counter, cover and refrigerate. These were ready to eat at the party two days later, and were perfectly pickled. But I had no idea what these combos would taste like when I threw them together. I thought at minimum they would be nice conversation pieces. Turns out they tasted pretty good! Some of the habaneros were too hot to eat, but the vinegar took the heat down enough on most that I enjoyed MANY of them with my cocktails. 


Here are my pickles. I am looking forward to giving this a little more thought and making some interesting and tasty summer pickles in a few months.


CIPOLLINI ONIONS + RADISHES + SALT + APPLE CIDER VINEGAR + WATER + MUSTARD SEEDS



BABY PATTYPAN SQUASH + ZUCCHINI + SALT + CHAMPAGNE VINEGAR + WATER + DILL



HABANERO PEPPERS + SALT + WHITE VINEGAR + WATER






6 comments:

  1. I am new to your blog first of all, so 'HI' :)

    And secondly, how adventurous of you to just through some pickles together on a whim, I love this and am going to try it, thanks for sharing!
    Rachel

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    1. Hi, Rachel! I am so glad you found me. I took a peek at yours just now. Keep it up! Looks like you will have some interesting recipes, and I like the simple layout of the blog. :)

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  2. The peppers look really beautiful in the jar. There is a small business here that buys local produce and pickles it, this doesn't look too hard, maybe I can do it myself. I'm thinking sweet Maui onions, mmm.

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    1. I think sweet Maui onions would be perfect, especially in the apple cider vinegar. The cipollini onions I used were nice and mellow and I ate them all up in a few days!

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  3. You make it look so easy! I'm tempted to try.

    (Have you seen Portlandia? The skit where they pickle everything they find? I think you might like it.)

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    1. Hi Rosa. It was SO easy! I think I would LOVE that skit. I haven't seen it yet. Reminds me of "Put A Bird On It". Have you seen that one yet? Also hilarious! :)

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