The Quickest Quick Pickle Recipe
Firstly it should be noted that this brine recipe can be used to pickle so many different types of vegetables (and fruit, and eggs!) The recipe is pictured below with classic cucumbers, but don't let that stifle your creativity! With this very same brine, and any spices of your choosing, you could also pickle: radishes, green beans, carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, corn, hot peppers, cherry tomatoes, fennel, hard boiled eggs, pineapple, pears, and more!
Last summer I really botched my pickle plan. I made a couple jars of these guys, then all my cucumber plants randomly died! I have every intention, of course, of getting a bushel of cukes at the farmer's market, but you know what they say about the best laid plans... Fast forward to this summer, our fridge has been pickle-less for like, 6 months, so the moment our first cucumbers ripened, I'm like, "PICKLES!!!"
I usually make these pickles a few times through the summer, starting with the first cucumbers, until the they start to wan, at which point I like to make big batches of canned and/or fermented cukes to carry us though until next summer (you know, usually). These pickles are so perfectly simple. I like to mix up a quart or two of brine and keep it in the fridge, so whenever I get the hankering, I can just chop up a few veggies, stuff them in a jar and pour some brine over top. Hence the quickest quick pickle recipe.
quick pickle recipe
yield: 1 pint jar
2 - 4 pickling cucumbers cut into rounds
1 tsp assorted whole spices per pint jar
(peppercorns, mustard seeds, coriander, cumin, allspice, red pepper flakes, etc. Add fresh herbs, too, if you've got 'em. Whatever suits your fancy!)
1 garlic clove, smashed
brine recipe
yield: 5 cups, fills ~ 5 pint jars
3 Tbsp salt
4 cups water
1 cup white or cider vinegar
1. Chop vegetables (FYI: the smaller you chop them, the faster they will pickle, the more you will fit in a jar, and the less brine you will need).
2. Place garlic and spices of choice in a clean, empty pint jar.
3. Fill jar with chopped veggies.
4. Combine brine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Pour hot brine over vegetables and refrigerate. Wait at least 2 days, but preferably a week before eating. Consume within three months(-ish).
*As I mentioned above, I like to make a large batch of brine and keep the extra in the refrigerator for making super-quick batches of pickles whenever I have a few more (fill-in-the-blank)s than I can eat. There is no need to reheat the brine unless you simply can't contain your desire to eat them. A hot brine will taste pickle-y sooner and will soften large hunks of hard vegetables. But in terms of preservation, I've never had any issues with premature spoilage with cold-brined pickles.
