By Andrew Lindberg, Fermentation enthusiast
Quick pickles are a fun and easy way to brighten up your favorite sandwiches, salads, sides, or main dishes. Quick pickles only take 10 minutes to make, and can be enjoyed for several days, with an ever evolving flavor. Try adding sweet cucumbers and pickled carrots to a cold-cut sandwich instead of lettuce and tomato. Pickled onions and pickled cauliflower with a little olive oil will brighten up any salad, and add a refreshing tanginess that can replace dressings. Almost any vegetable can be used, and with the numerous varieties of vinegars, natural sweeteners, herbs and spices, there is an infinite spectrum of flavors to be explored.
Quick pickles should not be confused with traditional or commercial pickles, as they are significantly different. As the name implies, ‘quick pickles’ are made and used quickly. Quick pickles are not a preserved food like traditional and commercial pickles. Their shelf life is only about a week, and after that, they become mushy, and the flavor becomes diluted. Traditional and commercial pickles can take several days or weeks to make. They are made with a salt brine or a mixture of vinegar and preservatives, and they are meant to last for several months, or sometimes over a year. Quick pickles are made with a mixture of vinegar, water, sweeteners, herbs and spices. The concentration of vinegar is generally not strong enough to preserve food and should not be relied upon to do so.
Quick pickles are a great way to experiment with flavor combinations at home. There are no rules for what you think tastes good. So, get creative and tweak the following recipes, or come up with your own. Use the vegetables and herbs from your garden, make your own unique vinegars, and try various sweeteners. Most important, have fun!
The recipes below are meant as rough outlines for quick pickles. For all recipes:
- Slice your vegetables thinly and pack into a container that will allow about ½ inch of space at the top.
- Mix your liquids in a separate container, in which the total amount of liquid should be about half the volume of the container you are making the pickles in; i.e. 16 ounce jar or (1 pint) needs about 8 ounces or (1 cup) of liquid.
- Add herbs and spices to vegetables, then add liquid and stir well.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Be sure to use them within 5 to 7 days.
Pickled onions (1 pint)
1 large red onion — julienned
1 smashed garlic clove
1 tsp. black peppercorn
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
Sweet cucumbers (1 pint)
1 medium cucumber
sliced thin (1/8 inch)
3 smashed garlic cloves
1 1/2 Tbsp. pickling spice
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup simple syrup*
Pickled Cauliflower (1 quart)
1 small head of cauliflower broken into florets (larger florets need to chill twice as long before serving)
1/2 Tbsp. dry basil
1/2 Tbsp. dry marjoram
1/2 Tbsp. dry oregano
3 smashed garlic cloves
1 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup simple syrup*
1/2 cup water
*simple syrup: heat and dissolve 1 cup of sugar in 1 cup of water. Chill before use.
