Quick pickles
Brine and pickling liquid
Pickling liquid for a 0.5 l jar
- Water
- 200 ml
- Vinegar 9 %
- 50 ml
- Sugar
- 15 g
- Salt
- 8 g
Boil the water with the salt and sugar, take it off the heat and add the vinegar. Pour it hot over the cut vegetables, let cool and refrigerate overnight.
Works for: carrots, cauliflower, radishes, onions, zucchini.
Brine for fermenting
- Water
- 1 l
- Salt
- 25–35 g
Cover the vegetables with brine and leave for 3–7 days at room temperature. Once it bubbles and tastes sour, move it to the fridge.
Works for: cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, chilies.
- 51recipes
- ≈ $1.73a typical jar
- 14 daysusual fridge life
The jars wait for winter, but dinner is tonight. Racion builds a week of meals and a priced shopping list.
Plan my weekThese jars aren't sealed. Slice, pour over the brine, put in the fridge, and they're ready by morning.
Small jars, from 0.25 to 1 litre: one is gone within a week, while everything still crunches.
Overnight vegetables 16
Overnight half-sour cucumbers, radishes in half an hour, carrots, beetroot, red cabbage and burger pickles.
Pickled fruit and berries 8
Grapes with rosemary, strawberries with pepper, preserved lemons, sushi ginger and watermelon rind. For cheese, meat and salads.
Pickled eggs 4
Eggs in soy and beet brine, quail eggs and spicy ones: for salads, sandwiches and ramen.
Kimchi and ferments 8
Kimchi, one-day sauerkraut, cucumbers and carrots in brine. A few days at room temperature, then the fridge.
Hot sauces, chili oil and confit 8
Chili crisp, hot honey, zhug, harissa, honey mustard, garlic and tomato confit. For burgers, tacos, noodles and pizza.
No-cook jams and sweet jars 7
No-cook chia jam, microwave jam, ginger with lemon and honey, berry sauce for pancakes.
How long it keeps
| What | In the fridge |
|---|---|
| Overnight vegetables | 5–21 days |
| Pickled fruit and berries | 5–60 days |
| Pickled eggs | 7–10 days |
| Kimchi and ferments | 7–45 days |
| Hot sauces, chili oil and confit | 7–60 days |
| No-cook jams and sweet jars | 7–30 days |
Time for a closed jar in the fridge. Each recipe gives its exact time.
How not to spoil them
- Wash the jar and lid with hot water and baking soda, then scald them. No sterilizing needed, but the jar must be clean.
- Keep the vegetables under the liquid: anything sticking out darkens and goes mouldy.
- Use a clean dry fork, not fingers.
- Garlic, chilies and herbs in oil stay in the fridge only and get eaten within a week.
- Close a fermenting jar loosely: the gas needs to escape, or the lid will bulge.
When to throw it away
Quick pickles live in the fridge. If you see any of these, don't finish the jar.
- Mould on top or on the vegetables.
- The brine smells of yeast or alcohol, and it isn't a ferment.
- The vegetables are slimy, soft and stringy.
- The recipe's time is up.
Questions
How are pickles different from pickled cucumbers?
Pickles are small vegetables in brine: gherkins, onions, carrots, cauliflower. In burgers, pickles mean cucumber slices in sweet brine, and you'll find those here too.
Can I reuse the brine?
No. It already holds juices and bacteria from the first batch, and it is less acidic. Make fresh brine for a new jar.
Why leave them overnight?
Brine takes 8–12 hours to soak in. Thin radish and onion slices are ready in 30–60 minutes, whole cucumbers and carrots by morning.
Is fermenting safe?
Yes, if the vegetables stay under brine of 2.5–3.5 % salt and the jar sits at room temperature. Lactic acid bacteria make it sour, and the acid protects it from spoiling. Mould or a rotten smell means the jar goes.
Why does garlic in oil keep only a week?
Garlic, herbs and chilies in oil without acid are where botulism bacteria can grow. The fridge holds them back, so keep these jars at 2–5 °C and eat them within 7 days.
How much does a jar cost?
Each card shows the jar price. We count vegetables and fruit at average national prices, plus sugar, vinegar and oil from 30 g. Salt and spices are usually at home already and aren't counted.