A Pickling Primer

Here’s what you need to make your own pickles at home.

Some pickles from my free community class

My teenage self would have scoffed at many a delicious food that wasn’t an apple, bacon, and gruyere panini in the day. I was surprisingly picky back then for someone who literally tasted a weed on my jog this morning because I thought it looked like a ramp (it wasn’t). No food makes me realize how much my palate has changed more than pickles of any kind. I crave the crunch and acid of a perfect pickle.

Pickles are often the best part of any meal, adding necessary acid and crunch as a foil to any meal. They are also an incredible snack, as any fan of giandiniera, kimchi, or sauerkraut can attest. Lastly, the humble pickle is not given enough credit for being an excellent place for creativity. You have so much control over the type of vinegar, the spices, and the time that the vegetables sit. These factors have a huge influence on the end result of your fermented fruits or vegetables.

Here’s all the information you could possibly need to get started with pickles in vinegar or lacto-fermented pickles in a salt solution.

Vinegar Pickles

Ever had pickled red onions on a sandwich? This “recipe” is exactly what you need to make your own.

Vinegar Ratio

The classic accepted pickling ratio is:

• 3 parts vinegar (1 cup or 100 g)

• 2 parts water (2/3 cup or 67 g)

• 1 part sugar (1/3 cup or 33 g)

• A pinch of salt

You may sometimes want to color outside these lines.  For instance, a more sugary pickling liquid is delicious for bahn mi pickles.  Whatever you decide to do, please make sure your sugar is dissolved and the mixture is tasty.

Hot vs. Cold Pickle

You can decide whether or not you would like to pour your pickling liquid over your vegetables while it is cold or warm.If you pour hot pickling liquid over your vegetables, you will cook them a little bit and also speed up the pickle process.This is great for crispier vegetables, such as a radish, but not the best move for delicate vegetables where you are trying to retain the vegetable's freshness (such as a cucumber).

Reuse Your Brine

Pickling liquid will stay good indefinitely, so if you keep an extra quart in the back of your fridge handy you will find unexpected uses for it! You can also reuse your picking liquid at least once before it loses its potency.

Getting Creative

Here’s a brief list of ingredients you may already have on hand that you can throw in with your liquid:

• Cooling spices (fennel, coriander, mustard seeds, caraway)

• Warming spices (black peppercorn, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg)

• Herbs (thyme, rosemary, bay leaves)

• Garlic

You can also include berries instead of vegetables if you’d like a tart accompaniment to ice cream.

Curious for more of a briny pickle? Read on.

Pickles in Brine

A lacto-fermented pickle is created using a solution of water and salt. This allows organisms naturally present in the food to eat the sugars, transforming them to lactic acid. The most famous pickle of this type is the classic New York dill pickle, but any fermented hot sauce also used this technique with its peppers. Here’s what you need to know.

Brine Ratios

The brine ratio for your lactose-fermented vegetables depends on three different factors: the size of your vegetables, the water content of your vegetables, and your personal preference for seasonings. For instance, if you are using pickling cucumbers, your brine will penetrate the vegetables differently than it will with cabbage. Your brine should be between 2.5-5% of your water solution. This equates to roughly a teaspoon and a quarter per every cup of water.

Keep It Submerged

This process applies to vinegar pickles as well, but it is especially important if your vegetables will sit out for many days at room temperature (as is part of the process with lactofermented pickles). You may develop mold along the top of your pickles if you are not careful! I usually put plastic wrap over the top of my vegetables, then push it down to make sure the brine covers the plastic wrap thoroughly.

To Know When to Refrigerate, Taste Them

This process applies to vinegar pickles as well, but it is especially important if your vegetables will sit out for many days at room temperature (as is part of the process with lactofermented pickles). You may develop mold along the top of your pickles if you are not careful! I usually put plastic wrap over the top of my vegetables, then push it down to make sure the brine covers the plastic wrap thoroughly.

What Kind of Pickles Should I Make?

Want some inspiration? Check out the cheatsheet below.

A pickle cheatsheet for your convenience.

Any questions? Write in the comments how you used this information! I’m looking forward to hearing more.