Phew, it has been yet another busy/crazy/unusual week! I got my first snarky blog comment this week. DELETE. I guess I’m lucky that it has taken a year for that to happen! And my boys have both been sick. Elijah experienced four croup episodes within a three-day span. And life is just plain busy for me right now. I’m trying to start a photography business, while accomplishing everything else I already have going. It’s a lot. But it will be worth it.
One of the good parts of the week was these pickles! Seriously! I was very pleasantly surprised about how they turned out. I had low expectations, mostly because I’ve never made pickles before. I am also kind of a picky pickle person. After brining for only one day, they were totally delicious! Who knew that pickles could become pickles so quickly and easily?!
You will need three 1-quart glass jars. Two for the veggies, and one for mixing the brine. Here is a list of vegetables you can use and how to prepare them:
(For 1 quart, use 12 ounces of vegetables.)
Asparagus – Blanch trimmed asparagus spears in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain well, transfer to a plate and let cool.
Broccoli stems – Peel tough skin away and cut stems into slender sticks.
Carrot sticks – Blanch sticks in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and cool.
Cauliflower florets – Cut into small florets. Blanch the florets in boiling water for 1 minutes, drain and let cool.
Green beans – steam beans for 2 minutes, transfer to a plate and let cool.
Kirby cucumbers – Quarter unpeeled cucumbers for pickle spears or slice them into thin rounds for pickle chips.
I doubled the recipe and made four jars of pickled vegetables. I made broccoli (1), cucumbers (2) and asparagus (1). I loved the pickled cucumbers, also known as pickles. Totally adored them. I very much enjoyed the asparagus, and didn’t care much for the broccoli. And I’m a broccoli girl.
Pack your vegetables into two clean jars. In another jar, combine:
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
6 large garlic cloves, halved
Shake to dissolve the salt and sugar. Add 2 cups of water and pour brine over the vegetables.
Tuck the following in between the veggies:
4 to 6 long red or green hot chiles, halved lengthwise
16 dill sprigs
Add water to the jars so that the vegetables stay submerged. Close jars and refrigerate overnight or up to 1 month.
If you enjoy pickles, I promise you will not be disappointed (not speaking for the broccoli). I will make this recipe again and again!
Spicy Dill Quick Pickles
Ingredients
- Vegetables (see list below for preparation suggestions)
- 3 tbsp. kosher salt
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
- 2 tbsp. coriander seeds
- 6 large garlic cloves halved
- 4-6 long red or green hot chiles halved lengthwise
- 16 dill sprigs
(For 1 quart, use 12 ounces of vegetables)
- Asparagus Blanch trimmed asparagus spears in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain well, transfer to a plate and let cool.
- Broccoli stems Peel tough skin away and cut stems into slender sticks.
- Carrot sticks Blanch sticks in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and cool.
- Cauliflower florets Cut into small florets. Blanch the florets in boiling water for 1 minute, drain and cool.
- Green beans steam beans for 2 minutes, transfer to plate and cool.
- Kirby cucumbers Quarter unpeeled cucumbers for pickle spears or slice them into thin rounds for pickle chips.
Instructions
- Pack vegetables into 2 clean 1-quart glass jars. In another jar, combine salt, sugar, vinegar, coriander and garlic. Shake to dissolve salt and sugar. Add 2 cups water; pour brine over vegetables. Tuck chiles and dill between vegetables. Add water to keep vegetables submerged. Close jars; refrigerate overnight or up to 1 month.
I hate those rude comments… how rude! 🙂 My little one is dealing with Croup, too…I hate flu season.
I pickled almost everything that came out of my garden… my green tomatoes are sitting on the counter waiting to be stuffed in a jar. 🙂
This looks really good. I bet cauliflower would be a good substitute for the broccoli.
What do you put the pickled vegetables on…and how long do they need to marinade for? Great idea, seems simple.
I feel like licking the screen those jars look so yummy. I am definitely going to try this recipe. Thank you.
I am up to my eyeballs in veggies from my garden right now and my fam loves everything I can. Can I water bath these to seal the lids so they will stay fresh in my pantry? Please email me at [email protected]. Thank you and these look absolutely wonderful! I could lick the screen! Lol?
Do you ever pickle eggs?
OMG these photos are BEAUTIFUL! and yes Peabody, I have pickled eggs! They are really good, although the rubbery texture of the white is a little strange! 🙂
I have sweet pickled my vegetables for years.i use ur recipe pretty much but also use 1/4 cup apple cidar vinegar,1 tb. minced onion and 1/4 cup sugar. I also add brussel sprouts.
If you are in a hurry….and you have saved your favorite pickle juice you can use it! Your own pickle juice is good in your potatoe salad dressing to make it a little more liquidy!
Your pickles do look very good indeed. Now why don't you go one step further and investigate the benefits of lacto fermented pickles. It takes up to six weeks to cure them, but you will get all the benefits of the much needed probiotics for your intestines. Your kids won't get sick as often any longer!.