7 Pickled Recipes for Summer Fruits and Veggies
We are a snacking family. The hubs and boy are the chip and cracker monsters and the girl and I will just snack on anything. This is not good for our health (and waistlines!) so we try to choose healthy alternatives like veggies and fruits. One of our favorites is pickles. My husband brought home a couple of jars recently and they were gone in TWO days. That's a ton of sodium! After that, I said no more to the store-bought version since making them at home is so easy, and I can control the ingredients. And cucumbers are just the beginning! We've done carrots, zucchini, red onion and more. Our favorite is making refrigerator pickles because they only take a few minutes, and with all the produce growing in gardens this time of year it's perfect for using up the endless amount of summer squash. Check out 7 different types of pickles you can make.
1.
Quick Pickled Carrots
I first fell in love with pickled carrots at a Mexican restaurant (that offers a non-spicy version). My favorite way to make this is with fresh oregano.
Make quick pickled carrots:
Ingredients:
1 lb. of carrots, peeled. sliced into 4″ lengths and quartered
2 cups water
2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons salt 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
8 bay leaves
10 whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
pinch celery seed
4-6 smashed garlic cloves or a quartered onion (optional)
Wash and dry 3-pint jars, rims, and lids.
Directions:
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and blanch the carrots for one minute. Pack the carrots into the prepared jars. In the same saucepan used for blanching, combine the water, vinegar and sugar and spices. Bring the heat up until the mixture is almost boiling and the sugar has dissolved. Pour over the carrots, leaving 1/2″ head space. Distribute the bay leaves, cloves, and garlic or onion, if using, evenly between the jars. Let the pickling liquid come to room temperature and seal. Keep the pickles in the refrigerator. They should keep for a week or so.
Related: 7 food additives you should think twice about before eating
2. Spicy Refrigerator Pickles WIth Radishes
This recipes uses radishes and onion to spice things up. I love the recommendation of saving the vinegar and adding more veggies when these are eaten.
Make spicy refrigerator pickles with radishes
3. Refrigerator Pickles
This is the perfect guild for giving you the confidence and know-how to turn any type of fruit or veggie into a pickle.
Make refrigerator pickles
Related: 10 tasty mug cakes you can make in under 10 minutes
4. Sweet And Spicy Picked Peaches
When I go home to visit my parents and we head over to the nearby peach orchard for our box of bruised and ripe bargain peaches, this is the recipe that's at the top of my list. It's an old-fashioned classic, and a great way to use up peaches without using the oven.
Make sweet and spicy picked peaches
5. Jalapeño Bread And Butter Pickles
I tend to lean pretty heavily towards the dill and vinegar and less so towards sweet pickles, but this just might sway me. The thought of spicy-sweet flavor mixed with jalapeño is just too tempting.
Make jalapeño bread and butter pickles
Related: The 25 healthiest foods for under $1
6. Pickled Red Onion
This is one of my favorite condiments. I especially love these over fresh tacos. You know, the taco truck tacos? I could eat them on their own, they are so good.
Make pickled red onion
7. Old School Fermented Dill Pickle Relish
If ever I need relish, I usually just chop up a pickle. Now I know how to do it right. This would also make a great hostess gift for a summer BBQ.
Make old school fermented dill pickle relish
- Macki West
Follow Macki on Babble
For 11 more pickled recipes for your summer fruits and veggies, visit Babble!
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