Quick Pickling

Ingredients

Pickling Mixture

  • 6 cups water
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 tbsp black peppercorns
  • 6 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 6 bay leaves
  • 1 large white onion, quartered
  • 6 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp mustard seeds
  • ¼ tsp celery seeds
  • 4 tbsp salt
  • 2 cups Champagne vinegar

Vegetables

  • Raw or cooked vegetables of choice, peeled & sliced (If the vegetable is dense, blanch  first in boiling water for 1 minute and place in cold water to stop cooking)
  • Suggested vegetables to pickle: beets, thinly sliced  green beans, mushrooms, jalapeno peppers

Special Equipment

  • pint or half-pint canning jars with lids
  • stockpot
  • ladle

How-to

  1. Combine Pickling Mixture ingredients in a nonreactive pot
  2. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes
  3. Pack vegetables in jars leaving about ¼" head space
  4. Carefully pour hot liquid over vegetables to cover
  5. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving
  6. Cover and store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks