With the return of the sun in the last few weeks, many have felt inclined to begin some springtime festivities. Most have the same few activities they come back every year, maybe it’s time to add something new into the rotation to break up the monotony? Maybe something like pickling!
Over a week we left cucumbers, red onions, radishes, asparagus, carrots, celery, and garlic to pickle and see how they all compare. To do this we first chopped our vegetables and put each into a separate jar with desired seasonings. We used black pepper, dill seeds, dill, and some chopped garlic. The brine itself was fairly easy to craft. To do so, you need 4 simple ingredients, white vinegar, sugar, salt, and water. We started by adding two cups of vinegar and two cups of water to a saucepan. Then we added a teaspoon and a half of salt and two tablespoons of sugar. We brought this all to a boil, making sure everything was dissolved, and then added some extra salt and sugar to taste. Next, we poured the brine into each respective jar, making sure all of our vegetables were completely submerged and left them in the fridge for a week. Here are our thoughts on some of the vegetables we pickled:
Cucumbers
We were excited for this one. Ruffled, chilled, and crispy, what could go wrong? Nothing. We were correct, these were truly a lovely snack. The cucumber taste was definitely peeking through, which some may think is a bad thing. They would be wrong. It was fresh, refreshing, and a joy to eat.
Onions
Hmm… these ones were nerve-racking to try. After facing our fears we realized they weren’t as bad as we anticipated. The pickling process took away some of the onion flavors, and not being the biggest fan of onions this was much appreciated. They would be a great addition to a bagel or tacos.
Radishes
No go. Smells like egg salad that has been sitting in the sun for approximately 60 minutes. But if you get past the smell they have a surprisingly pleasant crunch and a decent taste.
Asparagus
Again, we were terrified. After our shock at the stench of the radishes, we assumed the smell of the asparagus would be even worse. To our surprise, they had no scent. The texture was very complex, ranging from rubbery to crispy goodness. Shockingly, this was one of our favorites.
Carrots
The least pickled of all. Crunchy and fresh. AMAZING snack on a warm and sunny spring afternoon. But a similar experience could be achieved by dipping a carrot in vinegar. Nonetheless, I ate the whole carrot.
Celery
The celery was very highly anticipated, but undeserving. It was a bit too fibrous (as usual). The vinegar and celery flavors did not combine well.
Garlic
NOT GOOD. Suspiciously it changed color in the brine. We were nervous about mold growth as it was blue through and through. After careful research we deemed it edible, however, it didn’t taste edible. We would not recommend eating this by itself, but it may be good in a recipe.
All in all, as far as springtime activities go, this one was a winner. 10/10, we will be pickling again!
