Specific pickling thread.

bertiewhite

I know there is another thread dedicated to all sorts of preserving and it seems to talk about a certain book but I am particularly interested in pickling and wondered what sort of stuff can be preserved in this way?

I've recently pickled the following:

Shallots (with a couple of chillies)
Red Cabbage
Eggs
Cucumbers
Cauliflower florettes
Chillies (with an olive oil/vinegar mix)

What else can I do and what have you pickled?

buildersdaughter

I am not a great pickler (!) I find vinegar a bit overwhelming, so eat only a small amount of pickles. I do like pickled onions though, and have just done a few jars, with hot spices. I have never pickled shallots, although I have enjoyed bought ones - do you think they are crunchier?
And how would you use pickled chillies?

bertiewhite

buildersdaughter wrote: »

I do like pickled onions though, and have just done a few jars, with hot spices.

I've always put a couple of chillies in with my shallots to give them an extra bit of zing. What spices do you use?

buildersdaughter wrote: »

I have never pickled shallots, although I have enjoyed bought ones - do you think they are crunchier?

I'm not sure - I've only ever pickled shallots as my Dad did them and I always thought that all pickled "onions" were actually shallots. Normal onions would be too big wouldn't they?

buildersdaughter wrote: »

And how would you use pickled chillies?

Well I thought I could finely chop them into a salad to pep it up a bit or failing that, I could use them in my shallots!! At the end of the day, I'm preserving to use up a glut of produce so I'll find a way to use anything

buildersdaughter

You can get pickling onions which are the right size, and I have just done a batch.
I can't always buy just the right chillies (especially Scotch Bonnet) and wondered if pickling them would make them OK for use in sauces etc. But shredded on salad sounds great,and you could use the vinegar in salad dressing.

Laura_Elsewhere

The reason I pickle my own onions is that I can't eat hot spices, and nowadays ALL pickled onions seem either to have chillies or else sugar... I just like malt vinegar, mustard seeds and black pepper!

I also pickle red cabbage, just with malt vinegar, no spices at all.

We buy Tesco Malt Vinegar, as it seems the cheapest that is still actual malt vinegar and not non-brewed condiment with caramel-colouring.

Both those things, as well as the added sugar or chilli, we found bought pickles increasingly were really soft and flabby. Finishing off last year's pickled onions at the moment and they are still really hard and firm and crunchy!

bertiewhite

How about ideas for pickling other things?

Has anybody tried carrots or is that just weird? Again, I'm thinking about what to do with next year's glut of allotment produce.

-taff

In italy, they boil vegetable with a mix of white wine and water, then preserve in oil. The peppers taste lovely like that but not exactly pickling.


One way to do it with veg is piccallili because it's not quite condiment and not quite pickle but thanks the amount of vinegar might as well be. I've been making this recipe for years and get lots and lots of compliments about it. And I say so myself, but it's the best one I've ever tasted.
http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/christmas-piccalilli-recipe-5658/

bertiewhite

Thanks, I'll give Piccalilli a go as my wife loves that.

button_box

I haven't tried pickling carrots but don't see why they wouldn't be as good as any other root veg. I love pickled beetroot. There are loads of pickled carrot recipes coming up on g**gle so I might give them a try next year. Raymond Blanc does a pickled turnip & swede recipe which I am going to try ( not meant for long term storage, I think.)