You Can Pickle Vegetables In These Four Ways

Seasonal vegetables taste particularly aromatic, which is why it is worth preserving the taste of the season in jars. Pickling is a good way of preserving your own vegetables, especially when there is a large harvest coming up in your own garden.

Put vegetables in oil

Grilled vegetables marinated in oil are a Mediterranean-style delight. You can enjoy the antipasti prepared in this way without further processing as a starter with some ciabatta or farmhouse bread. The oil keeps the vegetables for about half a year if the jars are stored tightly closed in a cool, dark place.

1. Wash the vegetables and cut larger varieties into slices or chunks.
2. Heat a grill pan and sear the vegetables in a little oil.
3. Season with salt and spices and let cool completely.
4. Layer the vegetables, along with herbs, spices, and garlic if desired, in sterile jars and top off with a good drizzle of olive oil. The vegetables must be completely covered with oil.
5. Put the jars in a dark and cool room.
6. Leave the grilled vegetables in the oil for at least two weeks.

Pickle vegetables in vinegar

Pickles are a classic on the snack board. But you can also pickle other types of vegetables in a vinegar broth – the keyword here is “mixed pickles”. The vegetables can be kept for at least half a year, often for a whole year. The sour taste goes well with dips or simply as an accompaniment to sandwiches.

1. Clean the vegetables carefully and cut them into slices or pieces if necessary.
2. Vegetables that are not edible raw should be pre-cooked in salted water.
3. Prepare the vinegar brew by heating one part white wine vinegar with two parts water, add some salt and sugar and cook until dissolved. If you wish, you can add spices such as mustard seeds, peppercorns, or even cinnamon and cardamom.
4. Layer the prepared vegetables in sterile mason jars and pour the boiling hot broth over them.  The vegetables must be completely covered by the liquid.
5. Close the jars immediately, let them cool down and then store them in a cool, dark place.
6. You can enjoy your pickled vegetables after two weeks at the earliest.

Boil vegetables in salted water

You get the unadulterated enjoyment of vegetables if you boil your harvest in salt water. The vegetables preserved in this way are always ready to hand in the kitchen and last for at least a year. Boiled carrots and peas, for example, are particularly well-known and popular. You can refine the following recipe with spices and herbs as you wish.

1. Clean the vegetables and cut them into suitable pieces.
2. Pre-cook raw inedible vegetables in salted water.
3. Make a saline solution by boiling plenty of water and dissolving 1 teaspoon per liter of salt in it.
4. Fill the (possibly cooled) vegetables into sterile jars.
5. Fill the jars with the cooled brine and seal them tightly.
6. Boil the jars for 30 minutes at 80 °C (applies to most types of vegetables; depending on the type, higher temperatures and longer preserving times may be necessary) in the oven or in a saucepan.
7. Let the boiled vegetables cool down and it is best to store the jars in the cool storage cellar.

Ferment vegetables

Vegetables fermented by lactic acid fermentation. This gives it a typical sour taste, as you are probably familiar with sauerkraut. Vegetables fermented with lactic acid can be kept for at least a year. In addition to cabbage, suitable varieties for this “wild fermentation” include cucumbers, cauliflower, and beans. You can add herbs and spices of your choice to the following recipe.

1. Clean the vegetables carefully and chop them if necessary.
2. Mix in 50g of salt per kg of vegetables and leave to stand for a few hours (or overnight). For example, if you have shredded cabbage or root vegetables, knead in the salt vigorously until the juice comes out of the vegetables.
3. Squeeze the vegetables tightly into sterile jars and pour the released vegetable juice over them.
4. If the vegetables are not completely covered by a liquid, pour a cooled solution of water with 5% salt over them.
5. Close the jars so that gases can escape. After two weeks at room temperature, the lactic acid fermentation has progressed so far that further storage can take place in a cool place.