The Best Vinegar Pickles

These really are some fantastic tasting and shelf-stable vinegar pickles—canned like your polish grandma used to make.

Why are they so awesome? They use raw or “live” vinegar and the recipe works great for a variety of veggies—pick your favorite! You can cook up a cornucopia of pickles and have the prettiest Instagram pantry ever. Bring these as hostess gifts to your next party and be the envy of your crew.

Perfect PICKLED VEGGIES

The small batch version — makes 2x 8oz jars

ingredients

  • 4 Sweet peppers, cucumbers, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, or radishes

  • 4 Garlic cloves, peeled

  • 1 Shallot, peeled and chopped

  • 1 Cup Apple cider vinegar

  • 1 Cup water

  • 1 Tablespoon salt

  • 1 Tablespoon sugar

  • 1 Tablespoon whole, unground spices (I like yellow mustard seed, green peppercorns, and whole coriander seed)

  • OPTIONAL: add a stem or two of fresh herbs such as dill, tarragon, mint, sage, or parsley!

equipment

  • 2x 8-oz Glass jars with lids that are heat safe, such as Ball or Kerr brand

  • 1 Decorative label

  • 1 Pot for cooking

  • 1 Wooden or heat-safe cooking spoon

  • 1 Sharp paring knife

SANITIZE JARS & LIDS:

Place jars in a tall pot (tall and narrow is ideal), covered with water; bring to a boil and turn off; leave jars in the hot water, covered, until ready to fill.

Place lids in a heat-safe bowl and our boiling water over them; let them sit in hot water while you prepare the pickles.

PREP VEGGIES:

Wash and trim ends of your veggies—any shape you want: circles, whole, wedges, sticks, etc. If you want wedges or sticks, measure and cut them up so that they fit in jar with at least a pinky nail size bit of headspace, so the lid can fit on.

MAKE BRINE:

Combine vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a light simmer. Stir to dissolve salt and turn off heat. This should only take a few minutes.

PACK JARS:

Using stainless-steel tongs, remove jars from water, and set on a layer of clean towels.

Evenly divide garlic, peppers, and spice mix in jars. If adding fresh herbs, pack them in there too.

Pack jars tightly with veggies—leaving 1/4 inch of space beneath the rim of the jar—so veggies stay in place.

Get creative! For example, use ombre shades of sweet peppers, or mix veggies up to create a cornucopia of shades and shapes.

Pour hot brine over veggies and place warm lid on jar; screw on band firmly without forcing.

PROCESS:

Place jars in your hot water pot.

Add enough water to cover by 2 inches, and bring to a boil.

Lower heat a tad to medium-high, making sure they are still boiling really hard, and set a timer and boil for exactly 8 minutes (they should be clinking together at a full rolling boil before you start timing).

Remove jars from water bath with tongs; let stand on clean dish towels for 12 hours. Don’t move them! Let them rest or the seal could be broken.

After 12 hours, check your cooled jars for the slight indentation in the lids that indicates a vacuum seal. Some jars not seal? No biggie. Just toss them in the fridge and eat them. For the best flavor, allow sealed pickles to mellow and meld in a cool, dry place for two weeks before serving. Refrigerate after opening.

The spicy big batch version

This recipe makes 12 x 8-ounce jars of pickles.
Special equipment: mason jars (Ball, Kerr, etc.), big pot, tongs

INGREDIENTS

3 pounds veggies (try green beans, radishes, carrots, cucumbers, or cauliflower)
4 cups apple cider or wine vinegar
3 cups water
4 tablespoons salt
12 cloves garlic
12 sprigs of fresh dill (1 big bunch)
12 teaspoons red chili flakes or fresh hot peppers
12 teaspoons whole mustard seeds
12 teaspoons black peppercorns

DIRECTIONS

SANITIZE JARS & LIDS:
Place 12 regular mouth half-pint jars (8-ounces) in a pot, covered with water; bring to a boil and turn off; leave jars in the hot water, covered, until ready to fill.

Place lids in a heat-safe bowl and our boiling water over them; let them sit in hot water while you prepare the pickles.

PREP VEGGIES:
Wash and trim ends, and cut them up so that they fit in jar with at least a pinky nail size bit of headspace, so the lid can fit on.

MAKE BRINE:
Combine vinegar, water, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir to dissolve salt and turn off heat.

PACK JARS:
Using stainless-steel tongs, remove jars from water, and set on a layer of clean towels.

Evenly divide garlic, peppers, dill sprigs, and mustard seeds among sterilized jars. Pack jars super tightly with veggies so that they cannot move at all.

Leave 3/4 inch of space beneath the rim of the jar.

Pour hot liquid over beans, covering beans by 1/4 inch, leaving 1/2 inch of space beneath the rim.

Slide a clean plastic chopstick or wooden skewer along the inside of each jar to release any air bubbles.

Wipe mouth of jar with a clean, damp cloth. Place hot lid on jar; screw on band firmly without forcing.

PROCESS:
Place jars in your hot water pot, using tongs.

Add enough hot water to cover by 2 inches, and bring to a boil.

Lower heat a tad to medium-high, making sure they are still boiling really hard, and set a timer and boil for exactly 10 minutes (they should be clinking together at a full rolling boil before you start timing).

Remove jars from water bath with tongs; let stand on clean dish towels for 24 hours. Don’t move them! Let them rest or the seal could be broken.

After 12 hours, check your cooled jars for the slight indentation in the lids that indicates a vacuum seal. Some jars not seal? No biggie. Just toss them in the fridge and eat them. For the best flavor, allow sealed pickles to mellow and meld in a cool, dry place for two weeks before serving. Store opened jars in the refrigerator.

Laena McCarthy