Pickle Your Leftover Vegetables

in #cooking6 years ago

If you, like me, hate to throw out/waste food, I have a delicious solution for you! Many recipes call for only half of a vegetable, or sometimes your best intentions of using a bell pepper or cauliflower at purchasing time, never really amount to it actually being used. Instead of throwing them out, you can pickle your leftover and extra veggies before they spoil.

Pretty much any vegetable goes with pickling. My favorites are carrots, bell peppers, and radishes.

Pickling is easy enough if you follow these steps:

You will need:

  • jars with a lid
  • leftover veggies
  • vinegar
  • sugar or honey
  • spices
  • salt
  1. Wash your veggies, peel if appropriate.
  2. Place your veggies in a measuring cup. Whatever volume you fill, you will need half that amount in white vinegar (apple cider vinegar is great too). For instance, if you have 1 cup of veggies, you will need ½ cup of vinegar.
  3. For the amount of sweetner used (I recommend either honey or white sugar), you will need the amount of vinegar used, plus one half the amount of vinegar used. For instance, if you are using ½ a cup of vinegar, you will need ¾ cup honey or sugar.
  4. In a pot, heat your vinegar over medium low heat until it begins to simmer. Begin adding the honey or sugar in increments of ¼ cup, until you are satisfied with the sweetness.
  5. Add a pinch of salt to the brine, as well as any spices you have on hand and would like to add. I always use garlic and onion powder, and mustard seeds and whole peppercorns are great additions. Feel free to add whole sprigs of herbs, like dill, thyme, or parsley.
  6. Add the prepared veggies to the brine,and cook for about 3-4 minutes, until they are just slightly more tender.
  7. Transfer the veggies to a jar with a slotted spoon, then pour the brine on top. Screw the lid on tight. Allow the veggies and brine to cool to room temperature before storing in the fridge.

I know that this recipe is really vague, but it all really depends on your tastes and what you have on hand. It’s hard to go wrong with pickling. The resulting pickled goods are great when you’re entertaining and a yummy snack any time.

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Thank you for the idea, I never thought about making some homemade pickles, I will definitely try to preserve some in the future.

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Hello @pinkspectre
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It's smart to do. Disaster prep too.

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Look like a cool pickles jar you have made to have in lunch and in dinner

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I do hate to waste veggies. I tried picking once and it didn't turn out great for me. I dont think I added sugar to the vinegar so everything was to sour to eat lol. I should give it another try though. I especially like the idea of pickled bell peppers. I dont know if I've tried that before

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Nice post! It is always good to waste as little as possible. I love me some pickled veggies from time to time. I grew some jalapeno's in my garden a year or two ago and ended up with way more than I could ever use fresh. I pickled most of them and enjoyed them through the Winter.

That's a really smart idea. I like it! Cauliflower would be good. I've never had a pickled radish though. Also, are there potatoes in that jar? If so, I did not know that you could pickle potatoes. I cant image what that would even taste like.

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