What is Quick Pickling?
Quick pickled vegetables are simply vegetables that are pickled in a heated brine of vinegar, water, salt, sugar, and herbed solution and stored in the refrigerator. Quick pickles don’t develop the deep flavor that fermented pickles or canned pickles do, but they also only require a few days in the brine before they can be enjoyed and can be prepared in no time. It is important to use fresh veggies when quick pickling. It is a fast and easy way to preserve your summer favorites a little longer. Vegetables that are quick pickled will need to remain in the fridge and can last up to two weeks or more.
The process is as easy- just cut up your vegetables and place them in jars, adding herbs & spices you like. Heat your brine and pour it over your vegetables. Letthem cool to room temperature and pop them in your refrigerator. And quick pickling works with so many vegetables. Beyond the classic cucumbers, you can quick pickle beets, bell peppers, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, onions, peppers, radishes, squash, tomatoes, turnips, watermelon and the list goes on and on.
The Brine
For quick pickles, a basic brine is equal parts vinegar and water, but you can adjust the ratio to your preference. You can use any light colored vinegar — white vinegar, apple cider, white wine, and rice vinegar all work well. You can use these vinegars alone or in combination. Avoid aged or concentrated vinegars like balsamic or malt vinegar. Small or large amounts of salt and sugar are added to your preference.
The Spices
This is where you can make your vegetables unique to your tastebuds. Dill pickles are generally just cucumbers flavored with garlic, dill seed, and red pepper flakes. Carrots can be flavored with coriander, ginger, turmeric, or thyme to give them completely different tastes. Other classic combinations include green beans with garlic and fresh dill, cherry tomatoes with black peppercorns and garlic, and squash with onion and garlic. Here are some spice tips I got from Kitchn.com for flavoring options for your quick pickles.
- Fresh herbs: dill, thyme, oregano, and rosemary hold up well
- Dried herbs: thyme, dill, rosemary, oregano, or majoram
- 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.
Click on the text below to watch a video for a quick tutorial and click on the text of any of the pictures below for a recipe.
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