Pickles are a traditional way of preserving a bountiful harvest, whether it’s from your garden, a farmers market or the grocery store. And while late summer may find you scrambling for pickle recipes to use up an abundance of cucumbers or squash, spring can also be prime pickling season.
Some cool-weather vegetables like green and red cabbage are still hanging on. Bright carrots and beets in an array of oranges, yellows and reds are being pulled out of their winter beds. And asparagus spears are poking out of the ground.
You can enjoy those spring vegetables cooked or raw, but you can also make pickles to preserve their crunch and color for weeks to come. Memorial Day picnics? We’re looking at you.
We turned to chef Hilary White of Bistro Hilary in Senoia and Ruth Sallinger of Rootie’s Pickles in Cartersville for ideas on how to preserve spring vegetables. We received three recipes for quick refrigerator pickles with no need to sterilize jars or do any pressure canning. A hot brine flavors the vegetables, and then the jars of pickles can rest for up to several weeks in the refrigerator.
Credit: Aaliyah Man
Credit: Aaliyah Man
White is a true pickle enthusiast who estimates she has been making refrigerator pickles for at least two decades. “In our restaurant kitchen, when we have an abundance of vegetables from our farmers, we immediately start thinking about how we can preserve them. I don’t know anyone on staff who doesn’t like to pickle. We love the bright flavors and contrasting textures, and making pickles lowers the stress of having to use up all those vegetables at one time,” said White.
She laughs when she notes that the pickles are enjoyed as much by staff as by those dining at her restaurant. “We realized the staff eats at least half of the pickles we make. And they get so creative with how to use them.” Their house-made pickles accompany their pimento cheese snack plate, are served on charcuterie plates and with raclette. Bistro Hilary uses pickled beets in a salad that includes goat cheese and puts spicy pickles on their crispy chicken sandwich. Their chowchow garnishes beans on the seasonal vegetable plate, and “the pickles make guest appearances in weekend specials including cocktails,” White adds.
White grew up in Ohio and remembers households constantly adding seasonal vegetables to their jars of refrigerator pickles. “Growing up, I always had an interest in food, and when I went to somebody’s house, I would look in the refrigerator to see what kind of pickles they had.”
Early in her career managing kitchens, she developed individual recipes for pickling every type of vegetable. “That many different recipes quickly became overwhelming. I realized I could have two standard brine recipes, one savory and one sweet and spicy, and then vary them as needed.” Here, she shares those two brine recipes along with general guidance on how to use them.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Sallinger sells pickles based on her mother’s original recipe for cucumber pickles. They are crunchy because they rest two weeks in a solution of pickling lime with a mix of herbs and spices. Some folks refer to pickles made this way as “cement” pickles because of the incomparable crispness that results.
While she is usually surrounded with bins of cucumbers, onions and red peppers, as Sallinger thought about pickling spring vegetables, she turned to carrots.
“One of the reasons I love carrots is they’re so good for you. I wanted a flavorful pickle where the carrots weren’t overpowered by the other ingredients, so this recipe includes fresh ginger and several spices but no garlic,” she said.
Sallinger always has jars of pickles in her refrigerator, and while they are mostly her own cucumber pickles, for spring, her carrot pickles will occupy some of that space. “For lunch, I might have a turkey sandwich or pimento cheese, and I always have a bowl of pickles on the side. I will take a bite of the sandwich and then a bite of a pickle.”
Get creative with pickles, brine
Hilary White of Bistro Hilary and Ruth Sallinger of Rootie’s Pickles share their tips for using pickles and their brine.
- Add brine and chopped pickles tossed in olive oil to salads. (HW)
- Mix pickles with roasted vegetables for a vinegar punch. (HW)
- Use brine instead of vinegar or lemon juice in homemade salad dressings. (HW)
- Marinate hard-boiled eggs in pickle brine (a tip Sallinger picked up from her farmers market customers).
- Marinate pork in Sallinger’s pickled carrot brine.
Hilary White’s pickling tips
- Peel asparagus before pickling it if your stems are jumbo-sized.
- Add dill to your savory brine to make delicious dilly beans.
- Don’t cut your okra! Sliced okra makes slimy pickles.
- Red, sweet, white and yellow onions are delicious pickled in both savory and sweet and spicy brines.
- While most spring vegetables are best pickled raw, cook Brussels sprouts, beets and savoy cabbage before adding hot brine.
RECIPES
Hilary White of Bistro Hilary and Ruth Sallinger of Rootie’s Pickles offer three recipes for preparing colorful refrigerator pickles for spring, perfect for adding low-calorie, tangy crunch to snacks and meals. Both encourage readers to use these recipes as guidance and exercise their own creativity. For example, one prefers to pickle raw carrots while the other prefers to poach carrots in their pickling brine. Both methods result in crunchy pickles.
Credit: Aaliyah Man
Credit: Aaliyah Man
Hilary White’s Savory Pickle Brine
Your jars of pickles don’t have to be confined to just one variety. One of White’s favorite combinations is a mixed pickle with asparagus pieces, garlic, onion, cauliflower and carrots. She makes relishes by grating either cauliflower, green tomatoes or cucumbers and combining the grated vegetable with thinly sliced cabbage. With turmeric and mustard seed for seasoning, this makes a relish that is a great match for grilled sausages. White also suggests combining red onion and hot peppers for a multipurpose condiment.
Raw asparagus, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, green beans, hot peppers, okra and onions are delicious when pickled in this simple savory brine. If pickling Brussels sprouts, steam the sprouts first.
- 6 cups vegetables (see note)
- Seasonings such as fresh dill, garlic cloves, purchased pickling spice or other spice mixes, turmeric (optional)
- 4 cups white vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Cut vegetables as desired and arrange in clean glass jars totaling 6 cups in volume. Add seasonings if using.
- Make the brine: In a large saucepan, combine vinegar, water and salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir until salt is dissolved, about 1 minute.
- Ladle hot brine over vegetables in jars and allow to cool, uncovered. Put lids on jars and refrigerate for 4 to 6 weeks.
Makes 6 cups pickles and 3/4 cup leftover brine.
Per 1/4 cup asparagus pickles: 19 calories (percent of calories from fat, 4), 1 gram protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram total sugars, 1 gram fiber, trace total fat (trace saturated fat), no cholesterol, 843 milligrams sodium.
Per tablespoon leftover brine: 14 calories (percent of calories from fat, 0), trace protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, trace total sugars, no fiber, no fat, no cholesterol, 1,243 milligrams sodium.
Credit: Aaliyah Man
Credit: Aaliyah Man
Hilary White’s Sweet and Spicy Pickle Brine
When pickling vegetables like beets and red cabbage, whatever is pickled in along with them will turn pink.
White suggests pickling the following vegetables raw: bok choy or pak choi (add a slice of fresh ginger), green cabbage (with a pinch of turmeric), onions and summer squash. Beets and slivered savoy cabbage are best cooked before pickling.
- 4 cups vegetables (see note)
- Seasonings such as fresh dill, garlic cloves, purchased pickling spice or other spice mixes, turmeric (optional)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard seed
- 3/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- 3/4 teaspoon celery seed
- Cut vegetables as desired and arrange in 2 clean glass jars totaling 4 cups in volume. Add seasonings if using. Insert 1 bay leaf in each jar.
- Make the brine: In a large saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar and salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir until sugar and salt are dissolved, about 1 minute. Stir in mustard seed, red pepper flakes and celery seed.
- Ladle hot brine over vegetables and allow to cool, uncovered. Put lids on jars and refrigerate for 4 to 6 weeks.
Makes 4 cups pickles and 3/4 cup leftover brine.
Per 1/4 cup cabbage pickles: 36 calories (percent of calories from fat, 4), trace protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams total sugars, trace fiber, trace total fat (trace saturated fat), no cholesterol, 57 milligrams sodium.
Per tablespoon leftover brine: 15 calories (percent of calories from fat, 1), trace protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams total sugars, trace fiber, trace total fat (trace saturated fat), no cholesterol, 25 milligrams sodium.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Ruth Sallinger’s Pickled Carrots
Ruth Sallinger of Rootie’s Pickles is a big fan of carrots and created this recipe for AJC readers to take advantage of this bright spring vegetable.
She prepares the carrots for pickling by poaching them in the brine for a few minutes, then removing them from the brine and rinsing to stop the cooking. She says that poaching the carrots in plain water would mean much of the carrots’ nutrients would be lost when that water is drained. And poaching the carrots with brine infuses them with even more flavor.
“Pickling can be creative and personalized,” she adds and suggests readers modify the recipe to their taste. “If you don’t like cloves, leave them out. If you love dill, add more.” And if it makes it easier, Sallinger says the recipe works just as well with baby carrots.
- 2 3/4 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon shaved peeled ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
- 4 cups diagonally sliced peeled carrots, 1/4-inch thick
- In a large saucepan over high heat, combine vinegar, sugar, water, bay leaves, salt, ginger, peppercorns, dry mustard, coriander, celery seed, cloves and dried dill and bring to a boil. Add carrots and reduce heat until mixture is simmering. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until carrots are tender but still crisp in the center.
- Use a slotted spoon to move carrots to a colander placed in the sink. Rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Remove brine from the heat.
- Arrange carrots in clean glass jars totaling 2 pints. Ladle warm brine over carrots, dividing bay leaves and spices between jars and leaving 1/2-inch headspace in jars. Tap jars gently to remove air bubbles. Wipe rims and put lids on jars.
- Allow jars to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate. Let carrots rest at least 24 hours before serving.
Makes 4 cups pickled carrots and 3/4 cup leftover brine.
Per 1/4 cup pickled carrots: 39 calories (percent of calories from fat, 2), trace protein, 9 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams total sugars, 1 gram fiber, trace total fat (trace saturated fat), no cholesterol, 167 milligrams sodium.
Per tablespoon leftover brine: 14 calories (percent of calories from fat, 1), trace protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams total sugars, trace fiber, trace total fat (trace saturated fat), no cholesterol, 37 milligrams sodium.
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