MIXED PICKLED VEGETABLES

Mixed Pickled Vegetables image

Yield fills 2 pint jars

Number Of Ingredients 11

3 scant cups cleaned vegetables and fruits, sliced 1/4 inch thick, such as: red onions; carrots; beets; radishes; cucumber; scallions (trimmed to 2-inch lengths); whole smashed garlic cloves; rutabaga; green tomatoes; unripe mangoes; Fuyu persimmons
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 dried bay leaves
1 teaspoon allspice berries
2 shallots, quartered
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
4 teaspoons kosher salt

Steps:

Divide the vegetables, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, bay leaves, allspice, shallots, and red pepper flakes evenly between 2 sanitized pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace at the top of the jar.
In a saucepan, bring the vinegar, honey, and salt to a boil, stirring to dissolve the honey and salt. Boil for 1 minute. Pour the hot vinegar into the jars, fully immersing the vegetables. There may be a little extra pickling liquid left over.
Let cool to room temperature, seal, and refrigerate. The pickles are ready to eat after 2 weeks and will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
Basic Canning
Canning is a straightforward process that experienced veterans can do instinctively. It's fun and easy, but because detailed procedures must be followed in order to prevent the growth of toxic bacteria, you should first learn from an experienced canner or study one of the books recommended in the Resources section (page 194) if you want to strike out on your own. Describing the full canning process, which results in foods that can be stored at room temperature for up to a year in a cool, dark, place, is beyond the scope of this book, so the preserve recipes that follow are ones that can be stored in the fridge for 1 to 2 months.