ReadyMade: Instructions for everyday life

Issue 43
The Small Spaces Issue
Buy Your First Home
Southern BBQ, City Style
A-Frame House
Bikes of Portland
Check out the RM Photo Gallery

Pickles, Two Ways

Barbecue and burgers can get downright lonely without a side of pickles. And judging from the massive influx of artisanal cukes lining the shelves of our favorite food shops, we’re not the only ones suddenly beholden to brine. But at $12.99 a jar, those fancy pickles can bring on sticker shock, so we decided to take matters into our own hands.

by Victoria Granof

Photos by Nigal Cox

These two super-fast, no-fuss pickling techniques rely on inventive flavor combinations—no fancy canning equipment required.

Get ready to trick out everything from apricots and strawberries to radishes and beets—and, yes, cucumbers.

    • Blanch-and-Seal Pickles


      1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice and cold water.

      2. Add vegetables to the boiling water and blanch for 1 to 3 minutes (see below for exact times). Remove vegetables from the boiling water and submerge them in the ice bath. As soon as they are cool, remove them and drain well.

      3. Place blanched vegetables and raw fruit in the jar with the vinegar, salt, herbs, and spices.

      4. Cover tightly, refrigerate, and enjoy within a week.



      • Fresh-Pack Pickles


        1. Place your chosen fruit, vegetables, herbs, and spices in the jar.

        2. Cover and shake gently to mix. Uncover.

        3. In a small saucepan, bring vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil. Boil one minute, then pour over the raw ingredients. Cover loosely with the lid; allow to cool.

        4. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to a week.

Time to Brine: Try these combinations with either quick-pickling method.

1. Persian cucumber slices (blanched for 1 minute), vinegar, and garlic scapes

2. Golden beets (in small chunks blanched for 3 minutes), rice vinegar, pink peppercorns, and flowering chives

3. Fennel (thinly sliced and blanched for 2 minutes), blood orange segments, vinegar, garlic, and fennel seed

4. Jalapeño slices (blanched for 1 minute), distilled vinegar, and garlic

5. Strawberries, white balsamic vinegar, half the sugar, lemon basil, and peppercorns

6. Heirloom tomatoes, distilled vinegar, curry powder, and black raisins

7. Purple cipollini onions, red wine vinegar and black mustard seed

8. Apricots, distilled vinegar, cinnamon, cardamom, and bay leaves

9. Purple and French breakfast radishes, rice vinegar and pickling spice (We like the version from McCormick.)

Pickles Two Ways

$5

ingredients

    • For Blanch-and-Seal Pickles:
    • 1½ c. vegetables or fruit, cut into small slices or chunks
    • 1 c. vinegar
    • 1½ tsp. kosher salt
    • Herbs (about 2 Tbsp. chopped, or a few sprigs) and spices (about 1 tsp.)

    • For Fresh-Pack Pickles:
    • 1½ c. vegetables or fruit, cut into small slices or chunks
    • 1 c. vinegar
    • ½ c. sugar
    • 1½ tsp. kosher salt
    • Herbs (about 2 Tbsp. chopped, or a few sprigs) and spices (about 1 tsp.)

tools

    • For Blanch-and-Seal Pickles:
    • 1 clean pint jar with lid
    • Large pot
    • Ice
    • Sharp knife
    • Cutting board

    • For Fresh-Pack Pickles:
    • 1 clean pint jar with lid
    • Small saucepan
    • Sharp knife
    • Cutting board