How to Pickle

Pickling is one of the oldest methods of preserving food. Pickling is accomplished by preserving food using an acid, such as vinegar, or fermenting food in a salty brine which creates conditions for the formation of lactic acid. When you mention making pickles, cucumbers most commonly come to mind, but many fruits and vegetables can be pickled. This article describes several recipes to help you get started pickling.

Ingredients

Kosher Dill Pickles

Makes 15 pickle halves

⅓ cup kosher salt
1 cup boiling water
2 lbs. small “pickling” cucumbers, washed and cut in half the long way
5 cloves of garlic, mashed
1 large bunch fresh dill with flowers (or 2 Tbs. dried dill and 1 tsp. dill seeds)

Refrigerator Pickles

Makes 6 cups

3 cups sliced peeled cucumbers
3 cups sliced peeled yellow summer squash
2 cups chopped sweet onions
1½ cups white vinegar
1 cup sugar
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. celery seed
½ tsp. mustard seed

Quick Pickled Vegetables

Makes 4 servings

1 lb. cucumber, zucchini, summer squash or eggplant
1 Tbs. salt
½ tsp. sugar
1 Tbs. minced fresh dill or 1 tsp. dried dill
2 tsp. any vinegar

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Kosher Dill Pickles ^{[1]
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Research source
Bittman, Mark. <i>How to Cook Everything</i>. Wiley Publishing, 1998.}

1
Wash the cucumbers.
2
Combine salt and boiling water in a large bowl or crock. Stir to dissolve the salt.
- Kosher salt is a very coarse grain salt which does not contain iodine or any anti-caking additives.
- Do not substitute table salt. Table salt is fine-grained and usually contains iodine and an anti-caking additive. The additives in table salt may leave a bitter taste, darken the color, and cause the brine to become cloudy.
- You can pickle in food grade plastic, stainless steel and glass. Containers made of aluminum or copper should not be used for pickling
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3
Once the salt is dissolved, add a handful of ice cubes to cool the mixture.
4
Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise.
5
Add the cucumbers, garlic, dill and enough cold water to submerge.
6
Using a plate slightly smaller than your container, place the plate and a small weight on top of the cucumber mixture. This will keep the cucumbers under water.
- Use a clean rock, or anything heavy enough to keep the cucumbers under water.
- Keep the mixture at room temperature.
7
After 10 hours, sample the pickles. It will take anywhere from 24 - 48 hours for the pickling process to be complete.
8
When the pickles are suitable for your taste, refrigerate them in the brine.
- The pickles will continue to ferment, but more slowly in the refrigerator
- The pickles will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Refrigerator Pickles ^{[2]
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Research source}

1
Wash the cucumber and summer squash.
2
Peel cucumbers and summer squash. Cut into slices approximately ¼ inch in diameter.
- If you prefer you may use thinner or thicker slices. The cucumber and summer squash should be about the same thickness.
3
Place cucumbers, summer squash and sweet onions in a bowl.
- You can pickle in food grade plastic, stainless steel or glass.
- Aluminum and copper are not suitable for pickling.
4
Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, celery seed and mustard seed in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil.
5
Cook and stir just until sugar is dissolved.
6
Pour mixture over cucumbers. Cool.
7
Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Quick Pickled Vegetables ^{[3]
X
Research source
Bittman, Mark. <i>How to Cook Everything</i>. Wiley Publishing, 1998.}

1
Wash the vegetables.
2
Slice the vegetables as thinly as possible. Vegetables can be peeled or left unpeeled.
- A mandolin is excellent for this.
- Be sure to use the guard and be careful to avoid slicing your fingers if using a mandolin.
3
Place the vegetables in a colander and salt them.
4
Toss the sliced vegetables with the salt, working the salt into the vegetables with your hands for a minute.
5
Let the vegetables sit in the colander for 15 - 30 minute, tossing and squeezing every few minutes.
- Continue until little to no liquid can be squeezed out of the vegetables
- Cucumbers take less time; eggplant takes more time.
6
Rinse the vegetables well in cold water.
7
Place in a bowl.
- You can pickle in food grade plastic, stainless steel or glass.
- Aluminum and copper are not suitable for pickling.
8
Add the sugar, dill and vinegar to the vegetables.
9
Serve immediately. Quick pickled vegetables do not keep well.
10
Vary the recipe if you'd like with this Asian-style twist. Instead of the sugar, dill and vinegar in Step 8, add ½ tsp. sugar, ½ tsp. dark sesame oil, 1Tbs soy sauce and 1 tsp. rice vinegar.