What do you when you have far too many vegetables at home and not enough time to eat them? Then you can pickle them – as this is a way to conserve the food! Of course, it also means that you need to use the “right” ratio of vinegar, sugar and salt.
I know some people don’t want to use sugar when making pickled vegetables, and they choose to use sweetener instead. Note, i don’t know how long it will last then or if it has the same conserving properties as it does when it has sugar.
The base for these 4 vegetables is pretty much the same i.e water, vingar, sugar and salt. However, i added different spices/seasonings!
Also, i have a recipe for a red cabbage salad, which is delicious and another alternative if you have red cabbage at home. Recipe HERE
The recipe for the liquid is down below, and you can choose to double the ingredients if you are making alot. But i find that this ratio works well for just a standard/normal batch!
For the cucumber i added dill as my seasoning of choice – but i am sure you could add whatever seasoning you like… even mint might work well!
For the carrots i added some ginger and lemon along with the liquid.
For the red cabbage i added a little bit of clove and ginger.
Recipe for the pickled onion:
2 red onions (medium/small)
3-4dl (300-400ml) water
3tbsp sugar
2tbsp vinegar (12%)
0,5tsp salt
How to:
You can make a quick or long process of this recipe:
Begin by peeling and chopping the onion and adding to a glass jar. Then begin boiling the water in a pot. When it is boiling add the sugar, vinegar and salt and stir until combined and the sugar has dissolved.
Quick process: Pour the water over the onions in the jar (add a little more water if necessary i.e the water doesn’t cover all the onions.) and allow to sit for 30-60 minutes. (if you want more colour you can add c.a 1tbs balsamic vinegar to the mix at the end.
The long process: Allow the boiled water with sugar and vinegar to cool before you pour it over the onions and then allow it to sit for c.a 1-2 hours before placing in the fridge overnight for optimal flavour and colour!
Also note, that pickling and fermenting aren’t the same thing. Fermenting vegetables – scuh as kimchi or sauerkraut – are actually good for your gut bacteria and can be good to eat a small dose everyday 🙂
Pickling is just a way of conserving/preserving the vegetables or food!