Pickled vegetables made with spices and brine can be kept in the refrigerator for several weeks, are easy to create, and make a great healthy snack.
In this week’s Tuesdays in the Garden we are sharing preserving and canning ideas. As you may know, I’m more of an ornamental than edible gardener. I do grow a lot of herbs and have dried many flowers, for use in the kitchen or home decor. However, with the addition of the CSA subscription this year, I’m finding myself with lots of vegetables, and decided to try my hand at refrigerator pickled vegetables. Don’t forget to check out the other great preserving and canning ideas from the other bloggers at the end of this post.
Refrigerator Pickled Vegetables
Pickled vegetables like these are super simple to make. All you need are some spices and herbs, and a simple brine. They do need to be kept in the refrigerator but they will keep for several weeks. I promise you will want to eat them up long before their expiration time.
Both my sister and brother were into this practice last year so I thought I’d give it a try.
You can use a variety of vegetables for this recipe. I like a good bit of crunch so I chose those that were on the harder side in texture.
The herbs and spices can also vary. Sprigs of fresh dill are popular but you could use other herbs such as basil or parsley. Hearty seeds work well too, such as coriander. Did you know that coriander is the seeds from a cilantro plant?
Pickled Vegetable Herbs & Spices:
- fresh garlic cloves
- sliced onion
- shallots
- sliced fresh ginger
- bay leaves
- dill sprigs
- basil leaves
- parsley
- cilantro
- peppercorns of all color
- red pepper flakes for heat
- celery seed
- fennel seed
- mustard seed
Wouldn’t this make a great gift?
Place them on a pretty platter for a wonderful, colorful appetizer for your guests to enjoy.
Pickled Vegetable Recipe
Pickled Vegetables
This recipe was enough to fill two quarts and 2 pints sized mason jars.
Ingredients
- 8 garlic cloves
- 4 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 4 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 8 sprigs fresh dill
- 4 cups water
- 3 cups white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- vegetables carrots, green beans, cauliflower, radishes, cucumbers
Instructions
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Clean and trim your vegetables. Cut up in slices or small chunks so that they are easy to pack into the mason jars.
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Clean your mason jars in the dishwasher. Then, at the bottom of each jar sprinkle a little of the spices, a bay leaf, and a couple of garlic cloves.
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Pack the vegetables into the jars along with a couple of sprigs of dill.
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Bring the water, vinegar and salt to a boil to create the brine. Once the salt is dissolved let cool slightly and then pour over the vegetables, making sure to cover them but leaving a little bit of space at the top of the jar.
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Once the jars have cooled down a bit. Cover with the lid and place in the refrigerator. They will be ready to eat the next day and taste even better after a few days. They should keep for up to 2 months refrigerated.
Now let’s see what my fellow Tuesdays in the Garden friends are sharing this week.
Homemade Apple Chips @ Frugal Family Home
Roasted Tomato Sauce @ An Oregon Cottage
Lemon Balm & Lavender Iced Tea @ Angie The Freckled Rose
Roasted Garlic Salad Dressing @ Simplify Live Love
About Patti Estep
I’ve always wanted to try pickling this way and I have some cucumbers in the garden right now that I could experiment with. Canning was a big deal growing up and I pretty much skipped it in our home. I just like fresh and crisp food… So I’m thinking with this method the vegetables still offer that fresh from the garden taste… I agree great gifts, jazzed up in a basket with dish towels would look neat.. Thanks for the inspiration..
Hi Carole,
You won’t believe how easy this is. I wish I would have tried it a long time ago. I made four jars and took them to the beach and they were all gone within two days. Someone even used the leftover brine in a cocktail, like a dirty martini. The hardest part is deciding which spices and herbs you want to place in with the veggies. Not hard at all actually, and quite fun. I hope you try it.
I just pickled red onions for the first time last week to use as a taco topping. So good!
Hi Lauren,
I love this idea and can wait to try it. I’m a big fan of raw onions and my husband hates them. I wonder if this will be the magic trick? Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! I will definitely try this out. I always have stray veggies from the garden and sometimes it’s tough to find another way to use them up. This looks simple and yummy! I love having a handy veggie snack in the fridge.
You will love it Diane. So easy and a great way to use up your stray volunteers.
Refrigerator pickles are the best- I’m so glad you tried this! Your photos make the veggies look stunning. 🙂
Thanks Jami! I’m sure you are an old pro at this. I can’t believe I waited so long to try it.
I love pickled vegetables. This past weekend we made a couple of quarts of bread and butter pickles and garlic dill pickles. Can’t wait for them to be ready to eat, just one more day. Your veggies look beautiful.
What a great way to spend the weekend!
My boyfriend loves anything pickled! I’ll have to try doing this. You make it look easy and actually like something I can do. Wish me luck!
Hi Angie,
Honestly, I could not believe how easy it was and you feel great about eating such a low calorie, healthy snack.
This is definitely a great way to use up the spare veggies that are left over from other endeavors. Your pictures are stunning. Makes me want to try right away!
Hi Michelle,
I hope you do try it. It was so fun and so easy and sooo yummy. One of the best things I’ve made in a while that was tasty and healthy.
Your jars look yummy and beautiful too! I won’t tell Phil where coriander comes from! 😂
Hi Lisa,
You would love this and it’s so easy. I would have given some to you but we ate them all in one sitting. 🙂
Also, for some reason Phil doesn’t mind the coriander. It’s sweet but not as floral as the leaves, however, it’s still a bummer for me that he doesn’t love cilantro as much as I do.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you in the flesh very soon,
Patti