23 Quick Pickle Recipes for Your Garden Bounty (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between pickling and quick pickling? ›

Traditional pickle making includes canning, which uses high temperatures to sterilize and create an airtight seal that further preserves the contents from spoilage. Quick pickling uses the same basic ingredients as traditional pickling but you skip the canning process and store them in your refrigerator.

Another ratio that is commonly followed is the 3:2:1 method, using three parts vinegar, two parts water, and 1 part sugar. Once you start making quick pickles, you can adjust the ratio according to your own taste.

Place the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar (if using) in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Pour the brine over the vegetables, filling each jar to within 1/2 inch of the top. You might not use all the brine.

Try making quickles! Quick pickling does not require any specialized equipment for processing. Simply combine your vegetables with your brine of choice, let them sit or cool for an hour (or less depending on the recipe), and enjoy. Quickles must be kept in the refrigerator and should be consumed within two weeks.

Most pickle recipes call for distilled white vinegar. This is the clear, colorless vinegar made by fermenting grains. It has a mellow aroma, tart acid flavor and does not affect the color of light-colored vegetables or fruits.

For cucumbers, radish, and carrots, we like distilled white. For red onions, we prefer red wine vinegar for a pop of color and vibrant flavor. And for spicy pickled cauliflower (escabeche), we prefer a mix of distilled white vinegar and apple cider for an extra tangy kick.

The classic ratio is super easy to remember and is easily scale-able depending on how many pickles you're making. It's 100% vinegar, 50% water, 25% sugar and 12.5% kosher salt by weight. So for example, 200g vinegar, 100g water, 50g sugar and 25g kosher salt (again, you can scale this up or down!).

Quick pickling, or refrigerator pickling, involves a simple boil-and-pour method of pickling. You take all of your ingredients, apart from the product that is being pickled, and bring them to a boil. The heating process helps activate the flavors in the brine and marry them together.

Distilled white vinegar

Because of its clarity, it maintains colour and flavour of the produce being pickled. This makes it ideal for pale produce you don't want to discolour like fruits and white vegetables like cauliflower or onions.

Beyond the classic cucumbers, other fruits and vegetables that work well for pickles include asparagus, beets, bell peppers, blueberries, cauliflower, carrots, cherries, fennel, ginger, grapes, green beans, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, peaches, peppers, radishes, ramps, rhubarb, strawberries, squash, tomatoes, turnips, ...

How long does it take a cucumber to turn into a pickle? ›

Top the cucumbers with a few stacked lids or a resealable plastic bag filled with extra brine to keep them submerged. Place the airlock on top and secure it to the jar with the band. Store in a cool area (between 60 and 75F [15 and 24C]) for 3 to 5 days, or until the cucumbers taste like pickles.

Be sure you're using a clean container to pack your pickles (we may be quick pickling, but we're not barbarians!), though you don't need to sterilize it. Mason and other glass jars are just as good here as they are in traditional canning, McClellan says.

Using too weak a salt brine or vinegar solution may cause soft or slippery pickles, as can using moldy garlic or storing the pickles at too warm a temperature. These pickles are spoiled and should be discarded.

“Absolutely yes, you can reuse pickle brine,” says Phillip Bec of McClure's Pickles. Mark Hungarland, the co-founder of Doux South Pickles, agrees. "We have always encouraged our customers to reuse our brines," Hungarland tells Southern Living. "It is such a waste to dump the brine after the pickles are gone."

Quick pickles only require a few days in the brine before they can be enjoyed. If you are impatient (or your 2-year old is) you can even try them the next day! Quick pickles also tend to stay crispier than canned pickles because they're not heated as long.

The brine imparts a tangy flavor and helps to preserve the food. And compared with store-bought pickled veggies, homemade quick pickles can be lower in sodium and sugar.

The pickling process is carried out in one of two ways. One method is through anaerobic fermentation in a brine that creates lactic acid. The other method is marinating and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar (acetic acid).

The many varieties of pickled and fermented foods are classified by ingredients and method of preparation. The four general classes are: brined or fermented, fresh-pack or quick-process, fruit and relishes. Caution: The level of acidity in a pickled product is as important to its safety as it is to taste and texture.