I’m a pickled veggie snob. I will spend $12.00 on a jar of pickles. I will eat one a week so as not to get rid of them too soon, savoring every bite, then I will keep the jar of juice and dump baby carrots into the remaining sea of spices until I drain the jar dry.
Today I noticed some very much neglected pickling cukes in the back of my crisper, not looking so much crisp as sad. Here is my science experiment and foray into quick pickles. I hope you like it spicy.
Pickles:
- 6 baby cucumbers washed and cut into rings
- 1 habanero pepper cut into 4ths
- 2 jalapeno peppers cut in half
- 2 whole cloves garlic smashed
- Handful kosher salt
Brine:
- 1 1/2 C white vinegar, cause I’m old school
- 1 C water
- 1 1/2 T garlic chopped
- 5 bay leaves, whole
- 2 T dried dill, or 4 T fresh dill
- 1 T black peppercorns
- 1 T agave nectar
- 1 T cumin seeds, whole
First, prep the cukes. Cut into rounds, place in colander, salt generously, let sit for 15-30 minutes. This should perk up your cukes if they were a little sad like mine. Place cukes, peppers, and garlic cloves in a couple of jars you have lids for, it could be a jam jar for all I care, just make sure it’s clean. Since we are not “canning” here, it doesn’t make a difference.
To make the brine, boil for 15 minutes the ingredients listed in brine list. Remove from heat, pour over veggies in the jars. Let cool on counter, then pop in the fridge.
Eat these little guys within the week.
Veg Bon Vivant 