Quick and Easy Refrigerator Pickles
Pickling vegetables locks in flavour and crispness better than the crisper drawer ever could, and keeps produce from spoiling.
Ready in 30 minutes + time for cooling.
- Cook Time: 30min
- Yield: Makes one 1 L jar of pickles
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups distilled white or cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar (optional, if you like sweet pickles)
- 2 tablespoons coarse salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- Vegetables to loosely fill a 1 L canning jar (if using a mix, choose vegetables of similar density, for example carrots and turnips or cucumbers and green beans).
Instructions
- Clean and slice vegetables. Pack into a sterilized 1 L canning jar, leaving about 2.5 cm of room at the top.
- Make the brine. In a medium saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, sugar, and spices. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Bring to a boil.
- Pour the brine into the jar to completely cover the vegetables. Cool to room temperature and seal with a lid. After it's sealed, tip the jar upside down to evenly distribute the spices.
- Refrigerate for at least one day to let the flavours develop. Keeps for up to one month.
