Pickling vegetables is one of the easiest quickest ways to impress your friends and family—and of course preserve an overabundant garden.

Quick fridge pickles are almost foolproof in that you can feel free to play with ingredients in the brine.

Don’t like mustard seeds? Try fennel seeds.

Hate garlic? Throw in some onion or a jalapeño.

Don’t like pickles? Why are you reading this?

One word of warning, never use aluminum bowls or utensils, as the acid from the vinegar reacts poorly to the metal. They refuse to be friends.

So, my Friday afternoon whip together recipe was this:

2 or 3 lbs of radishes (sorry, I forgot to measure)

6 cloves of garlic

A handful of whole black peppercorns (this is very much to taste)

1 tablespoons kosher salt (again, play with it)

3 cups of distilled white vinegar

1 cup water

2 tablespoons of agave syrup (here’s where most people use sugar)

1 ½ tablespoons of mustard seed

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Preparation

Combine the vinegar, water, syrup/sugar, salt, peppercorns and mustard seeds in a bowl and allow the salt and sugar to dissolve. Fill up a few mason jars to the 2/3rds level with your clean, trimmed and sliced radishes. Divide your garlic cloves—either sliced or whole—among the jars as well. Now pour in your brine to cover the radishes to the tippy top of the jar.

Refrigerate and shake once a day for 3 days.

Viola!

Pickles for the month.

Best part for me? They don’t taste like radishes.

 

PS If you’re searching for seeds (from arugula to zucchini and everything in between), I’m recommending a company that not only has a worthy mission creed but a wonderful moral code. Give The Mauro Seed Company a looksee.

Their motto? Grow One, Give One. I’m impressed. Maybe you will be too.

Now don’t forget to head on over to the main post (here) to see what I’m bletherin’ on about this week. And check out what we’re talkin’ bout down at the pub (here) too!