How to Pickle Anything

A pickle, though many may assume cucumber, can be anything that is fermented in a salt water brine. Other foods that are commonly pickled include, but are not limited to: carrots, string beans, beets, hard-boiled eggs, radishes, hot peppers, olives, onions, okra, asparagus, cauliflower.

Pickles are often, but not necessarily, fermented with herbs and/or spices for extra flavor. Common herbs and spices include, but are not limited to: fresh dill, fresh thyme, fresh parsley, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, allspice, ginger root, garlic cloves, hot pepper slices, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, peppercorns.

When making naturally fermented pickles, the brine used is nothing more than salt and water. Most store-bought pickles, refrigerator pickles and home-canned pickles are made with a vinegar brine: vinegar, water, salt and sometimes sugar.

The most common question about pickling is "How much salt should I use?" Unfortunately, there is no hard-and-fast answer. Brine strength is something to experiment with to determine how you prefer your pickles, and may vary from vegetable to vegetable.

About Salt

1. Salt slows fermentation and extends shelf-life.

• The more salt, the slower your pickles will ferment, which may be especially desirable in the heat of summer. The more salt, the longer your pickles will last. If your goal is to sustain yourself on summer's bounty through the winter, you may use as much as a 10% brine (10% salt, 90% water). This, however, makes a very salty pickle that will need to be soaked in fresh water before eating.

2. Salt preserves crunchiness.

• To many, the hallmark of a good pickle is how crunchy it is. Depending on the vegetable, this may or may not be easy to achieve. For vegetables (like cucumbers) that are wont to lose their crunchiness, a stronger brine may be preferable, even if it means rinsing your pickles before eating them.

a few common brine strengths for reference:

Low-salt pickles, or "half sours". are made with a 3.5% brine (2 Tbsp salt/quart water).

A classic "sour pickle" is made with 5.4% brine (3 Tbsp salt/quart water).

A surviving-the-winter pickle is made with a 10% brine (5.5 Tbsp salt/quart water).

The Steps

1. Prepare your brine (see above).

2. Grab a wide-mouth mason jar. Clean with hot, soapy water.

3. Optional: Place herbs or spices in the jar. Evenly divide them between multiple jars. Depending on your spices, you may want to enhance their flavor by simmering them in the brine first.

4. Depending on the vegetable, you may or may not want to cut them into smaller pieces. If chopping, cut them into a shape and size that will maximize how tightly they can be packed in the jar.

5. Stuff the jar full of whatever it is you're pickling. Pack the jar as tightly as possible. The more space you leave, the more brine you'll need and more difficult it will be to keep the vegetables submerged.

6. Cover with luke-warm brine.

7. Weight and cover with a cloth or airlock.

8. Check on your pickles regularly. Taste them every few days to monitor their development. Depending on the weather and the strength of your brine, they are likely to take 1 to 4 weeks. Warm weather speeds fermentation; a strong brine slows it.

9. When you are satisfied with the flavor of your pickles, refrigerate to (nearly) halt fermentation. They will be good for at least a month in the fridge, usually longer.