Fridge Pickling - Easy, Efficient, & Exciting!
Let's set the scene - it's Saturday morning, and the family has just finished breakfast. You're cleaning out the fridge, looking through leftovers and making sure that nothing goes to waste. You've got a bit of this, a bit of that, and still nothing that would go together to make the perfect soup, casserole, or salad. You scratch your head and wonder ... what next?
DON'T JUST STAND THERE - QUICK PICKLE IT!
You heard me right. Pickling can be quick, as long as you have the fridge space for it. Here's a perfect example for you of what I mixed up late this summer.
from left to right: baby carrots, broccoli, turmeric cauliflower & bell peppers
Quick pickling (or fridge pickling) is an easy way to save leftovers for later. If you have enough to fit in a jar, you can pickle it. The recipe is easy to remember as well - 1+1+1.
Basic Pickling Liquid:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon salt
Then you can put whatever you want into the jars!
- The baby carrots (leftover from a work function veggie platter) have garlic & basic pickling spices (pre-mixed from the grocer) added.
- The broccoli also has basic pickling spices plus red pepper flakes for a kick.
- The cauliflower has turmeric, coriander, black peppercorns & a bay leaf.
Add these treats to salads, soups, meals, appetizer plates - whatever!
from left to right: purple bush beans, a mix of banana pepper + radish + onion, and tongue of fire beans
Just remember that your prettier veggies will lose their colour into the pickling juice. All three of the jars pictured above look nothing like this anymore - and it doesn't matter, because they taste delicious!
Want to go extra double big and waste even less?
Drink the pickle juice
Apparently it's especially good for you in the summer when you're drinking lots of water, because it adds back in needed electrolytes. If you keep booze in the house, make a Pickleback (one shot whiskey + one shot pickle juice) or a Pickletini (2 oz pickle juice +3 oz vodka + crushed ice, shake, then pour).
My husband has a cousin who swears by drinking pickle juice if she has a leg/arm cramp. SHe says she'll drink an ounce or so of pickle juice and within a few seconds the cramp is gone.
I have never tried it myself, but I'm curious how true it is.
GREAT way to preserve leftovers and can be so delicious as a side dish!
i'm bringing pickle juice to the gym with me, then! or adding it to my water when i start running again in the spring.
let me know if it really works! We were just talking about this at CHristmas dinner last week.
I have a naturopathic doctor who said to drink pickle juice if you are having one of those weird eyelid twitches that wont stop.
Really? SO pickle juice CAN stop involuntary twitches too? WOW! That is pretty cool!
Hey, btw... got your entry into the contest
AND... what is a naturopathic doctor? Sounds like a good,informative post!
That is his claim!
Glad you got it! I went for the humor angle :)
Here is a copy and paste from Wikipedia (SORRY!) - Naturopathy or naturopathic medicine is a form of alternative medicine that employs an array of pseudoscientific practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", and as promoting "self-healing".
In my opinion a good naturopath will do their schooling as an MD with an emphasis on natural medicines. They will then tend to have a more balanced approach to health; using both traditional and western medicine.
May I link this article and feature your username in the next issue of the Weekly Homesteading Newsletter? Let me know, thanks!
WOAH DUDE YES YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO ASK!
lol =D
Thanks! I forgot that you gave me permission before lol! I have you on my list of authors that have done so :)
LOL you're welcome, i'm overexcited :)
Happy Sunday! This comment is to inform you that your article has been linked and featured in the most recent issue of the Weekly Homesteading Newsletter! Please check it out if you have the time! Thank you!
Good pick for the newsletter!
Great idea, I‘ve done this with peppers, but will expand onto other veggies. I just love pickle juice and pickles! My body craves them sometimes so I know something is not balanced. Going to resteem 🐓
pickled red onions, with a couple of slices of red beets for colour - OMG SO GOOD!
thank you for the resteem! <3
I have never heard of fridge pickling. What a great way to save food from going bad! That happens here more often than I’d like to admit. We forget it’s there or we just aren’t in the mood for it, and then it goes bad.
I’m sure drinking pickle juice works, but I don’t know that I could stomach it!
yay, i'm glad i could share something new with you! :)
Thanks for this article. I need to do this. There are times when I grow so much stuff and I can't eat them all. One of the things that I always have too much of are tomatoes.
if you're going to use them for sauce or soup, tomatoes freeze really well. especially romas! i bagged up about 35 lbs in some freezer bags & they sat in the chest freezer for a couple of months. then they sat in the sink, still in the bag, until they were partially thawed - chop chop chop, sauce made!
plus, since tomatoes aren't sharp & don't poke the plastic, the bags can go through about 3 or 4 freezer cycles.
I love this post! Spread the word about pickling near and far! Thanks for the 1-1-1 rule - i'll definitely keep it handy!
thank you - i am definitely a pickling evangelist!
Cool! Pickles sound so good right now, LOL. By the way have you ever tried lacto-fermenting veges? It's an ancient method of pickling and actually increases the vitamins and minerals of the veges themselves, as well as improving digestion. I will be doing a How-To blog post on it very soon.
i have not lacto-fermented YET. but i will be soon. i have a big ol' book about it, i just haven't had a chance to do it yet. i'll keep an eye out for your post!
Amazing I really need to start pickling! Need to sauce some of the jar that can be fixed (the lids). And find best way to seal them of course? How much is a cup, have to look that up to. Thanks for the kick up the ass... mission accepted!
1 cup is 240mL, and 1 tablespoon is 15mL - since these go directly into the fridge, the lids don't have to be perfectly sealed for food safety. have fun!
Right you are. Always thought lid had to be sealed to help the process but its just health and safety crap. Great thanks for the translations. Guess thats a post coming up hey ;)
I do this often and love the results, might try some of your suggestions. Thanks for sharing. Ya I drink pickle juice when I get those leg charliehorses.
i will be sure to have some on hand this week at the gym. maybe a smooth, light, pickle-juice spiked water bottle is in order!?