Get Yourself Into a One

It's travel season for Hangry District and that means my CSA share from Three Part Harmony Farm has to be preserved in fun and interesting ways so that it's not wasted while I'm away.  With an abundance of fresh vegetables these past few weeks, I decided the best way to preserve would have to be my favorite way - PICKLING.  I haven't quite mastered canning yet, so I chose to quick pickle - or quickle.  Below you'll find the recipe for a variety of quickles that I made using what I already had in my pantry.  I've already polished off all of the cucumbers and I hope you'll enjoy this quick and easy technique as much as I do.  Happy pickling!

Quickles

Hangry Timer: 30 minutes
Makes: Varies
Cost: $5

What You Need:

Radishes, Cucumbers, Turnips, Carrots, Beets.....whatever you want to pickle!
4 cups Vinegar (I used Apple Cider, White Distilled, Champagne and Red Wine... keep reading to find out how)
4 cups Water
5 Tbsp. Honey (local is best!)
4 Tbsp. Salt
4 Dried Chile de Arbol, cracked open
Optional add-ins: garlic cloves, black peppercorns, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, whole mustard seeds

What To Do With It:

For the veggies: Slice off the tops and bottoms of the radishes, then use a sharp chef's knife or mandoline to slice the radishes into very thin rounds. Pack the rounds into any jar you have laying around. Top the rounds with red pepper flakes and mustard seeds.

Use the same technique for the cucumbers but cut them slightly thicker.  I added fennel seeds, peppercorns and a smashed garlic clove to my cukes, in addition to the chiles.

I cut my turnips into wedges, leaving about a 1/2 of the stem on.  The turnips also got a sprinkling of fennel seeds, and peppercorns added to their brine.

For the brine: In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar*, water, honey and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, then pour the mixture over the veggies.

Let the mixture cool to room temperature and serve immediately or screw the lids onto the jars and refrigerate for later. The pickles will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks, but are at optimal snacking about 5 days after pickling.

*I used different vinegars for each jar of veggies.  For the cucumbers I used 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar and 1/2 cup White Distilled.  For the turnips:  3/4 cup Apple Cider Vin, 1/4 cup Red Win Vinegar.  The radishes are a mixture of Apple Cider Vinegar and Champagne Vinegar.  Just make sure your rations are 1 part vinegar and 1 part water when making the brine - so 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup water, etc.  Don't be afraid to experiment. Enjoy!

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