You Can Pickle That: the Universal Pickle Recipe

Make fast, simple, delicious pickles from almost any vegetable.

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24 hours DURATION
30 minutes COOK TIME
20 minutes PREP TIME
Two quart jars SERVINGS

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds fresh, firm vegetables, such as cucumbers, squash, green beans, etc.
  • 2 cups 5-percent vinegar
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt (or half as much fine sea salt)
  • optional: 1 teaspoon honey or sugar
  • 2 whole garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed
  • 4-6 three-inch fronds of fresh herb, such as dill weed, tarragon, Thai basil, etc.
  • 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
  • 1/2 tsp whole-seed spices, such as coriander or mustard
  • optional: a very few “woody” spices, such as four whole cloves
  • optional: two small dried red chili or slices of hot pepper
  • optional: two thick slices of shallot or a half-dozen pearl onions

Directions

  • Trim and slice the vegetables as if making a salad or vegetable side dish (See above for suggestions)
  • Combine the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar or honey, if using, in a small pot. Bring to a boil, and remove from heat.
  • Pack the vegetables snugly into two clean quart jars. As you work, add the garlic and fresh herbs. At the end, add the peppercorns and whole-seed spices. Add the optional woody spices, chilies, hot pepper, shallot, or onions, if using.
  • Bring the vinegar brine back to a boil, and ladle over the vegetables to fill the jar. Seal the jars. Allow to cool overnight, and store in the refrigerator for up to a month.
  • Cook's Note: Like a one-size-fits-all garment, this recipe may require minor adjustments to fit your needs. In testing the recipe yesterday, for instance, I found that I needed a touch over two pounds of cucumbers to fill two quart jars, but two pounds of small, tender green beans fit exactly
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The long history of the word “pickle” tells you all you need to know about making pickles at home.

The word first appeared in English during the obscure centuries before Chaucer, and it likely originated from an even older root word meaning “a thing that pricks or has piquancy.” By Shakespeare’s day–roughly 400 years ago–“pickle” had developed its modern usage. In Anthony and Cleopatra, the queen threatens to have a servant whipped with wires and thrown into a vat of pickling brine, which she promises will be a stinging punishment. The poor guy was about to find himself “in a pickle” as we would say today–thrown into an uncomfortable situation.

The takeaway is that a pickle’s tangy taste–its pleasant, mild sting–is caused by acidity. At the most basic level, a pickle is nothing more than a vegetable submerged in an acidic liquid. From a food preservation standpoint, acidity is what preserves the vegetable, and as mentioned in my last post, acidity is also the silver bullet against botulism and other food-borne disease.

This Universal Pickle Recipe uses vinegar for acidity, and it’s one of a class known as “vinegar pickles” or “quick pickles.” In addition to the familiar cucumber pickles, you can also use this recipe to pickle sturdy vegetables including green beans, zucchini, carrots, celery, onions, beets, and even some greens, as described below.

The technique is safe, very easy, and flexible enough to adapt to almost any taste.

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