This is a master brine that you can parlay into numerous variations. Add chile peppers or spices to the brine! I have at least four different kinds of vegetables pickled this way, and they all taste distinctive and show off the natural flavors of the vegetables very well. My favorite combinations are adding cloves and cinnamon and orange peel, jalapeño peppers and red onions, or adding a ½ cup of soy sauce to the master brine for a less sweet and more complex flavor. There is no wrong way to go about it—go wild and have fun
Ingredients
- 6 quarts your favorite vegetable (not leafy ones), cut into bite-size pieces or about an inch all around
- 2 quarts hot water*
- 1 quart rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 3 cups granulated cane sugar
- ½ cup kosher salt
Preparation
METHOD
Place the vegetables in a container or a jar.
Mix all the ingredients for the brine. Whisk until all the sugar and salt is dissolved.
Pour the brine over the vegetables. Store in the fridge.
*For most vegetables, the hottest water you can get from the faucet should be hot enough. But for harder vegetables like beets, I’d go closer to boiling hot. The harder the vegetable, the hotter the water should be.
