If you asked me eight years ago to imagine a pickle, I would have had one image of a classic juicy preserved cucumber. Bursts of vinegar and dill making me feel cool after a strenuous workout, the underrated superstar of the family BBQ, the main reason to order a deli sandwich.
Then I entered the small farming and foodie community and found myself surrounded by a perplexing amount of pickles and confusing terminology. Over time my bravery increased and I tantalized my taste buds with pickled red onions, carrots, and spicy pickled peppers that were bursting with a zest for life. These flavors evoked in me a sense of curiosity. Nudging my palate toward new ideas and old ways of preservation.
Learning to pickle offered me a significant kitchen confidence boost. The skill elevated my meals, guided me through early home canning adventures, and taught me about the process of lacto-fermentation. Now, before we go any further let’s go over some terminology.
Pickle
A common name for the cucumber preserves at your local grocery store. The term pickle can also be applied to any food processed in vinegar brine to impart flavor or preserve freshness. Depending on the recipe, pickled produce or fruit can be processed and preserved through a home canning process. This is not required to explore the realm of homemade pickles.
Fermenting
Before the modern availability of commercial pickles, folks would keep large crocks or barrels of fermented cucumbers into the winter months. Some processes used a salt brine and pickles would lacto-ferment. Others, such as the Crock Cucumber recipe found in one of my favorite reference books: Putting Food By, use a bit of vinegar in the brine to aid in preservation. Lacto-fermented pickles are sour in taste and contain live bacteria that is believed to be beneficial to gut health. In short, pickles can be fermented, but most modern pickles aren’t fermented.
Pickling at Home
If you are curious about pickling, start by following small-batch quick pickle recipes. These pickles take a short amount of time to prepare and will allow you to play with types of vinegar and flavors with little consequence.
Quick pickled red onions will immediately upgrade any meat or veggie burger. Tacos Tuesday coming up? Try your hand at a combo jar of quick pickled carrots, jalapenos, and onions. The following veggies are also fun additions to salads, cheese plates, and DIY bloody-mary bars!
Rather than provide you with a recipe, I asked my dear friend and podcast co-host, Chef Rose Tomlin, about ratios for brines used to make refrigerator pickles. True to form she immediately offered guidelines for a rough quick pickle brine.
In a pot combine 60-70% water, 30-40% apple cider vinegar, equal parts salt and sugar, and aromatics (such as bay, peppercorns, mustard seeds, or herbs) of choice. Bring to a boil and pour over your prepared produce. Once cool, refrigerate for up to a month.
Rose’s guidelines can be adjusted to fit different produce and creativity needs. Use them as a reference if you choose to omit using a recipe and work from your cupboard. If all you have on hand is white vinegar, use it and consider adding a pinch more sugar to sweeten it up.
Have you tried your hand at homemade pickles in the past? What was your favorite use for these delights? Let me know in the comments.
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My mouth was watering just reading this!! I may actually try easy pickling (or beg for some of yours 😉)