They are delightful! They’re crisp and flavorful and make an excellent addition to any entree. I enjoy making homemade pickles. They are crispy and flavorful, and it’s fun to change things up and use different vegetables, vinegar types, and seasonings. I almost always have a jar of these refrigerator pickles in the fridge. I especially enjoy them with various cold leftover meat slices for my lunch.
Ingredients
Instructions
Recipe Card
Vegetables: I use green beans, cauliflower florets, and mini peppers. But you can use any vegetables you like. Cucumbers are an obvious choice, and carrots or radishes are good too. Vinegar: I like to use white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar. Garlic cloves: I use a couple of whole peeled garlic cloves to add flavor to the brining solution. Sweetener: This is optional, but it helps balance out the vinegar’s acidity. You can use any granulated sweetener or the equivalent in stevia. The nutrition info below assumes that a no-sugar sweetener was used. Salt and spices: Kosher salt, whole peppercorns, whole coriander, and a dry bay leaf.
For example, you can change the vinegar you use. I like to use champagne vinegar, and white wine vinegar is also good. However, I don’t recommend using distilled white vinegar. It’s too acidic. You can also make these pickles spicy by adding a couple of hot chili peppers to the pickling jar. Just make sure no one actually tries to eat them! Your first step is to prep the vegetables and then pack them tightly into a glass jar, leaving ½ inch of space at the top. Prepare the brine: Combine water, vinegar, garlic, sweetener, salt, and spices in a small saucepan. Stir to dissolve the sweetener and the salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Allow the jar to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate it for at least six hours, preferably overnight. At this point, you can go ahead and serve your tasty homemade pickles! Let the brine do its magic! Ideally, you should allow the veggies to sit in the brine overnight before enjoying them. I also like to make myself a lunch plate with cold cuts, cheese, hard-boiled eggs (or deviled eggs), and quick pickles. It’s one of my favorite lunches. Instead of store-bought cold cuts, I often use cold leftover meat or chicken, including:
Tri-tip roast Lamb shanks Chopped liver Turkey legs Skirt steak Flat iron steak Grilled chicken breast Cold chicken drumsticks
