A Guide to Pickling Anything

_{WHAT IS PICKLING ALL ABOUT?}

Pickling is a process of preserving food by soaking it in vinegar or brine (a mixture of salt and water). It can be used to protect any kind of vegetable, a lot of fruits, meats, and other foods like eggs. Use pickles in your lunchtime sarnie to inject more flavour into your dinner or just as a late-night snack straight from the jar. Essentially, pickling elongates the life of any perishable item as the acidic solution prevents the growth of harmful bacteria, which contributes to the delicious pickle’s characteristic sour and tangy taste.

Prep 10 Minutes
Cooking 15 Minutes
1 Portions

Ingredients

_INGREDIENTS:

300 mls water
300 Vinegar
1.5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon of salt
3 bay leaves
2 star anise

You can experiment with different spices, herbs, and sweeteners to create your own unique pickling blend.

_OPTIONAL:

Garlic
Peppercorns
Turmeric
Mustard seeds
Chilli flakes
Fennel seeds
Cinnamon Sticks
Juniper berries
Citrus fruits

Method

This simple pickle recipe can be used to pickle any fruit or vegetable; just add some extra herbs or spices to change it up if you feel like getting creative.

Yield 600ml pickling liquid:

In a pot, add the water, vinegar, sugar, salt, Bay leaves and star anise. Bring to the boil.

Simple add your vegetables or fruit to a jar and, pour over the hot pickling liquid, fill right to the top. Close the lid while still hot.

_{OUR FAVOURITE COMBINATIONS}

Cucumber, Mustard Seeds, and Dill
Capsicum, Garlic, and Chilli
Red Onion and Lay leaf
Eggplant, Chilli and Garlic
Strawberry, Cinnamon & Star Anise
Plum Pickle (Umeboshi) with mint or basil

It is essential to use clean pickling jars. Scrub clean with hot, soapy water, rinse and boil the jars in a large deep pot for 10 minutes and allow to cool.