Do you remember how many pecks of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked? While nursery rhymes keep us entertained, pickles keep us crunching. Pickles have been around for thousands of years and refer to the brining process rather than a cucumber in a jar. In fact, pickles aren’t limited to dill, they can be sour, sweet (gerkin), or hot. You also can make them out of any vegetable and need not limit yourself to just cucumbers.
In fact, you can combine vegetables to make pickled salads that may be lighter than a traditional salad with dressing. Some varieties of veggies that pickle well include: Carrots, green beans, asparagus, cauliflower, pearl onions, regular onions, garlic, dill weed, celery, a variety of peppers and of course, cucumbers. You can easily pickle your own veggies too. All you need are some screw top bottles, vinegar, sea salt and any other veggies you notice and you can begin to whip up some recipes.
Cucumbers: Peel and slice a couple cucumbers and onions and add to a jar. Fill jar with vinegar and a pinch of sea salt. Screw on top of jar and put in refrigerator.
Green Beans: Trim ends of green beans and put them in a jar. Add a bunch of fresh dill weed to the jar. Fill with vinegar and a pinch of sea salt. Also works for asparagus (trim stems).
Pickled Garden Salad: Peel and slice carrots, cut cauliflower florets, trim pearl onions, chop celery, peel and chop a variety of peppers, peel a garlic clove. Place all in a jar. Fill jar with vinegar and a pinch of sea salt.
These simple pickles are easy to make, store to enjoy later and are healthy, tasty, as well as economical. You can experiment to make them spicy with hot peppers, invent new pickles with your choice of vegetables and other spices like fennel, coriander, etc. It’s almost like turning pickles into a creative hobby. GOOD EATING!