I joined a Community Supported Agriculture this year (read about that in this article) and have enjoyed trying new recipes and exploring new vegetables. Sometimes, my share of the crop leaves me with an overabundance of a particular vegetable. To extend their life, I’ve started trying my hand at pickling. I haven’t yet gotten into long-term preserving, but I have a feeling that’s going to be my next culinary adventure based on the results of my beginner pickling process.
Cooking Light explains that “to pickle food means to preserve it by immersing it in a seasoned vinegar-based solution often referred to as a brine. Flavors can range from salty to sweet or hot. This technique encourages certain naturally occurring and harmless microbes to feed on the sugars produced as the food’s proteins break down in the presence of salt. These microbes produce lactic acid, carbon dioxide and even alcohol―compounds which in turn help preserve the food. Also, these helpful microbes leave most of the beneficial vitamins and minerals intact and further enhance the taste of the food preserved.”
I had a large amount of cucumbers and red onions on hand so I went in search of a recipe. My favorite variety of pickles are bread and butter pickles, so I zeroed in on this recipe from Erin Cooks.
Bread and Butter Pickles
Ingredients:
- 2 English Cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- Fresh dill, roughly chopped (approximately 3 tablespoons or to taste)
Preparation:
Bring the vinegar, water and sugar to a boil in a medium sauce pan, and then pour the liquid over the prepared sliced cucumbers & onions. Sprinkle fresh dill over the top. Cover the dish and let it marinate at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. For best results allow the cucumbers to marinate overnight.
The first time I made these, I didn’t have any dill so I left that out. They came out delicious. I made them a second time and this time I got fancy and threw in a pinch of jarred pickling spice which reduced the sweetness. I would increase the sugar next time if I decide to use the pickling spice again.
Pickled Swiss Chard Stems
My friend Kate from Vollmecke Orchards sent me a recipe from Bon Appetit for pickling swiss chard stems. I had just been sautéing them along with the greens, so I thought this would be an interesting and different use for them. Also, the recipe calls for sriracha and I think everything tastes better with a little bit of sriracha in it.
Ingredients:
- Swiss chard stems, chopped
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons sriracha
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
Preparation:
Make a mixture of vinegar and sugar, then stir in onions, sriracha and celery seeds. Pour it all over the chopped stems, using 3 cups liquid for every 1 1/2 cups chopped stems. Throw it in the refrigerator for a few days, and you’ve got the ultimate refrigerator pickles.
Next on my “to-pickle” list is purple cabbage. I’d love to hear any recipes you’d like to share. Feel free to post them in the comments section.
Photo credits: Ronna Dewey.
