Pickles!

[rawstrength]

I buy raw pickles from a local small business, but they are very expensive and I would love to start experimenting with making my own pickles. I don't just mean cucumbers, but all sorts of vegetables. For example, I used to love the pickled ginger I would get with sushi at restaurants. Do you think that if I mixed salt, ACV and water with some thinly sliced ginger and left that in the fridge for a while it would make good pickled ginger?
What about peppers, mushrooms, grated carrots, cabage, etc?
I know that it would be a lot more convenient for me to make raw pickles because they are tasty and I would have to make fewer trips to the market to buy veggies.
I just wanted to know if you think this is a good idea before I go out and waste a bunch of veggies on failed pickles.

[trinity082482]

Ooooo you got me hungry! I love picked onions. I miss that :(

[Riiiya]

lately i've been having monstrous cravings for picked stuff! I made sauerkraut (cabbage, some carrots, sea salt) and it was sooooo amazing...my Ukrainian grandma's recipe- she also told me a trick- prepare it either on Wednesdays or Saturdays (something that has to do with the Moon cycle :confused: ) mmmmm

[rawstrength]

Mmmmm . . . pickled onions. I've never had them but that sounds really good. I'll have to try it. After I make my pickles I will post my results here. Not sure when I will get around to shopping though.

[StarFire]

Check out Amberstorms blog -- I think she posted some pics of her pickles... they were cucumber - but the recipe sounded fabulous and you could use it with any kind of veggie!! :D

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/herbedpicklesbyAmberstorm-RFT.jpg ... in fact - here's her picture of her finished pickles.. I copied the recipe for future use -- and copied the picture so (hopefully) mine will look as good as hers!! :D

rawk on~~ http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/SmileyFaces.gif

[rawstrength]

Starfire - this may seem like a silly question, but do you know how to search through blogs? Amberstorm's blog has a lot of entries and I'd really like to be able to search for the pickle recipe instead of reading each entry.

[Frugal Raw]

raw strength - I just loaded this recipe onto my recipe blog for you.

http://mattyeleesvegankitchen.blogspot.com/

I played around with it alot this summer, and the recipe posted here is the one I and my hubby liked best:D Hope you enjoy it!!

On the pickled ginger recipe, I was once told how to go about it - if you have an Asian market near you, buy the baby ginger - it's naturally pinkish when young. Slice thinly and place in a jar with a mild rice vinegar, and let it do its thing. I don't know how acv would work with it, as it has a pretty strong flavor. Let us know if you try that and how it turns out...

[rawstrength]

So, for the results of my pickling experiments.
I made some pickled red cabbage, onions and yellow peppers (not sure whether to call this sour kraut or kim chee, it's my own invention) and it came out really delicious. I let it sit on the counter in a jar for a few days, and now that it's open I've been keeping it in the fridge. I've been enjoying it as a topping for miso soup and salads.

Right now I've got a mix of shredded carrots, shredded green cabbage, shredded mature coconut, pineapple juice, grapefruit juice, salt and finely chopped habanero pepper pickling. It should be interesting and I'm hoping it will taste tropical/fruity and spicy.

I'm using an old screw-top jar that used to hold five pounds of raw honey (before I ate it all). If I get the chance I will upload pickle pictures as they look so pretty and colorful. I encourage anyone who has never made pickled veggies before to just go ahead and try it! That's what I did, and it has worked pretty well for me. Just make sure you have an acidic, salty liquid to cover what you are pickling and a sterile jar (use boiling water to sterilize it). My digestion has definitely improved because of eating more fermented foods like pickles and unpasteurized miso, and now I don't have to buy really raw pickled veggies (it's a local brand) from the store.

[RowanC]

We make these often... they're good fresh and next day.

Peel and slice a cucumber.
Peel and slice a red onion.
Put in a shallow dish or bowl.
Add celtic sea salt to taste.
Pour in apple cider vinegar and water about 3:1 ratio (measurements honestly aren't that important)

Let this sit in the fridge for at least one hour before eating.
YUM! They are so crispy and good!
If you want sweet & spicy you can add honey & spices like cinnamon, cloves.