Let the pickling begin!

Bonny presented me with 2 fairly large Tromboncino squash - much to much to eat fresh.

So, we grilled up a bit with our dinner and made refrigerator pickles with the rest.

I made 2 types of quick pickles- a Thai influenced variety and a more classic Eastern European style. The Thai had more of a sweet, spicy flavor and the classic was more of the salty, savory variety.

I didn't really follow any recipes (though there are a ton out there), but just winged and they came out pretty good!

The key is to taste your quick brine before adding your items to be pickled. If the brine tastes good, then so should the pickles!

Here are the parameters for both kinds (make enough brine to cover your  pickling items):

Thai:

• rice vinegar
• water (about equal amounts of both liquids)
• ginger
• kaffir lime leaves
• smashed garlic
• dried chiles
• palm sugar (though plain white will do)
• salt
• black peppercorns

Classic European style:

• apple cider vinegar
• water (about equal amounts of both liquids)
• pickling spice (allspice, mustard seeds, cinnamon, turmeric, black peppercorns, cumin, dill seed)
• salt (more than the Thai)
• pinch sugar
• dried chiles

Bring all ingredients to a boil and then let simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed. Pack vegetables into clean sterilized jars and pour over brine to cover. Cool and refrigerate.

They are ready to eat in an hour or so, and get better with time. You should eat them in a week or two - if they last that long.

I also added a few sliced carrots and a kohlrabi as I found them lurking in the bottom of the fridge.

Enjoy!