I like to keep pickled red onions, carrots with fennel, and cucumbers on hand to top salads, hummus flatbreads, and curries. You can also pickle most other vegetables using the same pickling liquid, a great way to use up a surplus in the garden or to keep short-lived fresh vegetables for much longer. In the fridge, these keep for weeks, and they all contain ZERO allergens (as long as your cider vinegar has no added sulphites)!
Prep your veg:
1. Red onions should be peeled and sliced very thinly. Place them into a colander and pour a kettle full of boiling water over them to soften them and make the flavour less sharp. Put them into a glass container or jar.
2. Carrots and fennel should be very thinly sliced (in any shape you like, whether in coins, julienne, or, using a mandolin, into ribbons). Pack them (including the fennel fronds) into a jar with 2 crushed cloves of garlic and some thinly sliced fresh ginger.
3. Cucumbers should be washed, then fully or partly peeled. Drag the tines of a fork down the length of the cucumber to score it on all sides. Place into a glass container or jar.
Add the pickling liquid:
- Mix 1 cup apple cider vinegar with 1 cup of hot water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar (or 2-3 tablespoons, if doing cucumbers), and 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns. Stir to dissolve. (Scale up the recipe as needed to fill however many jars of veg you have).
- Pour the pickling liquid over your vegetables to fully cover them. Close the jars and refrigerate. Wait a day before eating for maximum flavour!
Greenhill Vegan Bakery 