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How to Pickle and Preserve Six Summer Fruits and Vegetables...

 

By Kristen Eppich 

–20 Aug, 2012 

 

Preserving vegetables is a wonderful way to lock in summer flavors to be enjoyed during colder months. 

It has also become a bit of a novelty, with pickles of all shapes and colors adorning plates across the nation. 

I once believed a salty, tangy, garlicky dill pickle was the ultimate, but have come across some other delicious pickled bits. 

Some things you should know about pickling:

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1. Preserved pickling refers to the process of soaking a fruit or vegetable in a solution of vinegar or brine, adding additional salt and possibly spices.

Successful preserving requires a specific sterilization process to ensure the pickled products are safe to store.

Guidelines are available at Health Canada.

Pickled properly, your food items can be stored for months.

2. A method of quick pickling has become very popular.

Quick pickling uses similar ingredients to preserved pickling, but items must be stored in the refrigerator and have a much shorter life span.

The advantage of quick pickling is, you can experiment with new flavors, without the risk of wasting ingredients.

3. Regardless of which method you choose, always use Kosher [or sea] salt.

Using any other salt will result in your pickles being too salty.

4. Try using flavored vinegar which can add new twists to your favorite pickle recipes.

Similarly, using brown sugar, honey or molasses instead of white sugar will impact the flavor of your pickles.

Six fruits and vegetables to preserve:

Green cherry tomatoes

At the end of the season, or before your cherry tomatoes turn red, pick them for pickling.

These tomatoes are best suited to preserved pickling, since the crunchy texture holds up well and maintains its bite for months.

Opt for white vinegar and minimal sugar, add hot peppers for a spicy infusion.

Tip: They make an excellent garnish for Caesars, or martinis.

Radishes

Perfect for quick pickling, pickled radishs can be ready in under an hour!

Try this quick pickle recipe for radishes — rice vinegar and sugar balance out the sharpness of the radish perfectly.  

Tip: They make a great topping for burgers.

Corn




The sweetness of corn pairs nicely with the tangy zing of pickling.

Pre-cook your corn, and remove kernels from the cob before pickling.

You can either use the preserved pickling or quick pickling method — both work well.

Tip: Adding chilis to the pickling solution will balance the corn's sweetness.

Beans

Beans are an excellent option for canning.

They taste great treated with a garlic-dill solution, traditionally used for cucumber pickles.

Red onions

Red wine vinegar and red onions are a perfect match.

Apply a quick pickle to your red onions; don’t forget a little sugar to sweeten the pot.

Store onions in the fridge.

One large red onion will need about 1 cup of pickling liquid.

Cucumbers

Opt for an Asian-inspired quick pickle instead of traditional dill pickling.

Asian quick pickles are a combination of rice vinegar, sugar, sometimes fish sauce, and soy sauce; almost always involve an awesome kick of spice.

Other vegetables ideal for this pickle are carrots, daikon and cabbage.