Pickling, things. Anything. I love pickled things, especially Jalapeno, Gherkins and Onions. Over the years I’ve bought many jars of all those things and more besides. But that’s only because I didn’t know how stupidly easy it was to be doing the pickling myself.
Pickling is of course an excellent way of extending the life of your own home grown produce, or indeed anything you’ve bought in and won’t have the chance to use. People have been pickling for thousands of years and probably will for thousands more.
Using anything pickled on your meals is also an excellent way to bring a little acidity to a meal or add an extra flavour to an otherwise bland salad.
Pickling for me these days is more or less always about Jalapeno and Gherkins. Though if I was to pickle anything else I’d use this exact same method to do it.
Jalapeno can easily be found in most UK supermarket “Mixed Chillies” bags. If you know what you’re looking for then you even pick up whole bags of them.
Both of the above Chillies came from the same mixed bag, the one on the left is a Jalapeno, the one on the right is anyones guess. Jalapeno tend to be more bullet shaped, they have a darker skin colour and thick flesh.
Ideally I try and do this with my own home grown produce. In fact there is very little reason for me to grow a cucumber without thinking that one day it’s going to end up in a pickling jar.
Although it’s fair to say if I run out and it’s not growing season I’ve no problem popping to the market or shops and getting what I need from there.
Asides from the vinegar you’re going to need some spices to add some spice to the mix.
Now, you can buy Pickling Spice mixes, and while these are perfectly fine there is a very good chance you’ll have most, if not all, the common spices already in your cupboard.
You can Google for all kinds of different pickling spice mixes and you’ll come up with as many different ideas as you will results. The truth is that you’re better off experimenting for yourself to find your own perfect blend.
And, truthfully I’ve called this a “recipe” but it’s more of a “how to” because I don’t stick to just one blend of spices. It depends what I’ve got in the cupboard already and what mood I’m in at the time.
The only real rule for spices is to use whole spices and not ground or powdered.
Before I get to what I use, here’s a few different things you can use;
- Peppercorns
- Mustard Seeds
- Black Onion Seeds (AKA Nigella Seeds)
- Coriander Seeds
- Mace
- Allspice Berries
- Cloves
- Cinnamon
- Star Anise
- Dried Bay Leaves
Alongside the traditional spices I’ve also been known to include aromatics into the mix as well;
- Garlic (Slices of)
- Ginger (Grated)
- Dried Chilli Flakes
And finally, as a Chilli grower I occasionally have the odd ‘spare’ chilli kicking around when I’m pickling and so I’ll chop that up into slices and throw that in as well.
It really is a case of “anything goes” when it comes to this kind of thing.
The only thing you need to worry about is having a nice clean and sterile jar to contain your picklings. I mostly reuse glass jars I get from condiments or other store bought things. The labels can generally be removed with some hot soapy water and a little elbow grease.
You can Google many ways to sterlize the jar, but I’ve never had a problem with this method;
- Wash out the jar with hot soapy water
- Rinse out with hot water to make sure no soap remains
- Wipe off excess water with a clean towel
- Put in the oven at 110º C to finish drying completely
(This generally takes around 15 / 20 minutes – I leave the door slightly open to allow for good circulation.)
And now that we’ve got all that out of the way, and without further ado, onto the pickling!
Please remember this is more of a “how to”, you’re free to experiment and substitute add or change the spice mix as you see fit from those listed above – I do all the time!-
Half a Star Anise rattling around a jar? – Throw that in!
Little pieces of Cinnamon at the bottom of the packet? – Get those in there!
What you’ll need:
- Sterilized Jar
- Distilled White Vinegar (I use Tesco Distilled Vinegar – So cheap!)
- Black Peppercorns
- Black Onion (Nigella) Seeds
- Mustard Seeds
- Cloves
- Garlic (2 or 3 cloves depending on size)
- Chilli Flakes (Your weapon of choice)
- A sauce pan
- A “suitable container” – A Tupperware box or similar.
I’ll be using a 500ml jar for this so the quantities are for that, adjust for your own jar size but don’t get hung up on the details so much, this isn’t an exact science. I use measurements below but they’re just there to give you an idea, in reality I eyeball it.
Prep:
- Chop the object if your pickling up and pack into the jar as best you can but remember to leave a little room,
- Remove the object of your pickling from the jar to your suitable container
- Fill your jar to the brim with Distilled White Vinegar
- Chop your Garlic into slices
Method:
- Place your whole spices in a dry pan;
1 tblsp Black Peppercorn
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Black Onion (NIgella) Seeds - Lightly toast the spices
- Just as you start to smell the spices (this won’t take long) then pour in your vinegar
- Add in the Garlic and Chilli Flakes
- Bring the mixture to a boil
- Once it starts to boil then add the object of your pickling and give it a quick stir
- Remove from heat (Your object of pickling may dull slightly in colour, don’t worry this is normal!)
- Let it cool a little and then transfer the contents of the pan to your jar.
And, done! So easy and so quick! – Once you’ve done it a couple of times and not following a guide such as this you’ll be done in about 10 minutes or so.
All that’s left to do now is put a label on it so people know what’s in it, I add the date I pickled them as well. Finally, put the lid on and store them in the fridge.
You can tuck in as soon as you’re ready to enjoy your home made pickling but I tend to leave them alone for at least a week to give them a chance to truly shine. I also occasionally give the jar a shake to mix up the spices a bit as well while I’m waiting.
Your pickle should keep for about 6 months – Mine never lasts that long, ever. But I wouldn’t eat anything past that.
BUT – WAIT!
We’re not done just yet. No we’re not.
It took me the longest time to realise this, but once I did I’ve never looked back.
Once you’ve eaten your delicious pickling’s then you’re going to be left with a jar of vinegar, all nicely spiced to how you like it.
You can keep that vinegar and use it as you would any other kind of vinegar. Oh yes. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving!
I keep the empty bottles of Distilled Vinegar I use up then refill them with the vinegar of past pickling’s. I use a funnel with a filter on it to fill the bottle back up – If you original bottle came with a stopper then replace that, or, poke a little hole in the top lid and, viola!
Now you’re good to go with a tasty vinegar for your fish and chips or splash some into a sauce you’re making for pasta, chilli or curry to give it a little lift.
All of this for just a couple of minutes of work.
Right then, with all of that said and done I shall leave you to go pickle things!
As always, if you follow this guide and have found it useful or have anything at all to say then drop me a note in the comments.
Enjoy!