universal pickle

[kappydell]

Lately I ran across a recipe for a 'universal pickle'. It's basically a refrigerator pickle solution, but is very tasty and works nicely to jazz up the glut of veggies for dinner. Its also refreshing on these hotter days.

 

 

UNIVERSAL PICKLE

This can be used to make refrigerator pickles of just about any sort: cucumbers, cauliflower, green beans, peppers ... Just add a tablespoon of pickling spices of your choice to the bottom of the jar, pack in the veggies, and add the pickle solution.

 

Ingredients

(makes enough for one quart of pickles)

1 1/2 cups water

3/4 cups white vinegar

1/4 cup sugar (or artificial sweetener equivalent)

2 teaspoons kosher or pickling salt

Combine ingredients in small saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover, stir to dissolve sugar and salt and boil for two minutes. Pour over vegetables and pickling spice in canning jar. Let cool, then close jar and store in refrigerator for at least one week before eating. Eat within two months, if you can manage to keep them that long. This recipe can be doubled or tripled or quadrupled. If you make too much, just keep it in the fridge until you want to make more pickles.

 

You can vary the type of vinegar, as long as it's at least 5% acidity. You can up the amount of sugar if you like sweeter pickles. Vary the pickling spices*, either by buying a commercial blend or making your own (both Penzey's and McCormick's are both good). For dill pickles, put one tablespoon of pickling spice and one dill flowerhead (or one teaspoon dill seed) to a quart jar, then pack jar with either whole canning cucumbers or cucumber slices. Pour pickle juice in and then try to wait a week before eating!

 

I use artificial sweetener and pickle up as many of the 'type A'/low carb veggies as I can in a mixture. Its sweet-sour flavor helps me feel satisfied with fewer calories. (Kinda like the old 'dill pickle' trick, only classier.)

[sassenach]

thanks, it sounds good!

[Annarchy]

Thanks Kappy!

[Andrea]

Thanks! I'm at that stage in the garden where I have one of these, 2 of those, and a handful of green beans. This is a great way to deal with this problem!

[kappydell]

I like it because it is kind of like the ever-changing ongoing soup-pot...only with pickles!