Description
Seasonal Harvest Pickled Medley brings garden-fresh vegetables into a tangy, crunchy preserve. Rich Mediterranean flavors complement local produce, offering home cooks a simple method for extending seasonal bounty you can enjoy weeks after harvesting.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 to 4 jalapenos, ends trimmed, seeds removed if very hot, sliced
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced into coins or matchsticks
- 0.5 large red onion, thinly sliced
- 0.25 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 1 medium pickling cucumber, peeled and sliced into coins or thin slices
- 2 tsp whole peppercorns
- 2 tsp whole mustard seeds
- 1 cup (237 mL) white distilled vinegar
- 0.25 cup (59 mL) rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- 1.25 cups (296 mL) water
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar
Instructions
- Sanitization: Meticulously cleanse a glass jar with white vinegar, thoroughly rinsing to remove any cleaning residue and prepare for vegetable preservation.
- Vegetable Arrangement: Artfully layer sliced vegetables in the sterilized container, strategically embedding whole black peppercorns and golden mustard seeds to infuse dynamic flavor dimensions.
- Brine Creation: Merge apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, filtered water, kosher salt, and granulated sugar in a saucepan, heating and stirring until ingredients dissolve completely and liquid achieves a vigorous boil.
- Liquid Immersion: Gently cascade the scorching brine over arranged vegetables, ensuring full submersion while maintaining a narrow 1/4 inch headspace to accommodate potential liquid expansion.
- Cooling and Infusion: Allow the jar to stabilize at ambient temperature for 15-20 minutes, facilitating gradual temperature equilibration and preventing potential thermal shock to the glass.
- Flavor Development: Seal the jar tightly, delicately rotate to distribute spices uniformly, then refrigerate for a minimum of 24 hours, enabling a transformative flavor melding process and achieving a perfectly pickled result.
Notes
- Sanitize with Care: Thoroughly clean the glass jar with white vinegar to prevent contamination and ensure food safety.
- Spice Stratification: Layer whole spices between vegetables for a more complex, aromatic flavor profile that elevates the pickle’s taste.
- Brine Basics: Dissolve salt and sugar completely in the vinegar mixture, maintaining a rolling boil to create a perfectly balanced pickling liquid.
- Cooling Technique: Let the jar rest at room temperature before refrigerating to prevent thermal shock and potential glass cracking.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 20
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg