Pickling is a huge tradition and has a rich and long history in Norwegian and Scandinavian cuisine. I grew up with a mother who pickled everything from cucumbers, beets, cabbage, pumpkins, all kinds of fruit, and yes…herring too!
Besides being a way to preserve foods in the old days when they didn’t have refrigerators, later on, it also became a way to preserve produce with its very short growing season. Vegetables, fruits, and other foods needed to be harvested and preserved so they could be enjoyed through the long, harsh winters.
My taste buds have grown to appreciate and crave the salt, sweet and sour taste of pickled foods; It’s also a wonderful way to add texture and an ‘accent’ to dishes, and I even use the pickling liquid that is leftover in salad dressings and marinades for other dishes.
You’ll see pickled vegetables on very “koldbord” (smorgasbord) in Norway…from being their own salads to being accouterments for open-face sandwiches and bigger main meals, they are a staple in the Scandinavian diet.
The key to delicious, flavorful pickled vegetables is of course… the pickling liquid!
While mine might require a few more ingredients than traditional recipes, I think you will agree once you try it that it’s worth it—and most of these you might even have laying around in your spice cabinet anyway.
You can use this recipe for any pickled dish you are looking to do, and it really adds so much flavor you will want to maybe drink it (although I don’t recommend it!)
I pickled both cucumber and beets this past week which I’ve enjoyed on open-face sandwiches smeared with a lentil pate (which I cooked up in my last online cooking class) and also enjoyed as a side with juicy meatballs and even put them on tacos! 🙂
Would love to hear if you will try it out and what vegetables, produce, or food you are going to try it on!
BEST PICKLING LIQUID EVER
Pickling liquid:
1 cup white vinegar (or sub rice vinegar)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 bay leaves
1x 2-inch piece fresh ginger
2 allspice berries
2 juniper berries
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp kosher salt
1-2 cinnamon sticks
7-8 fresh thyme sprigs
1 piece star anise
5 black peppercorns
Place vinegar and water in a medium stockpot and bring to a boil, whisk in sugar and salt to dissolve. Add all the other spices and allow to steep for 20 minutes.
Slice and prepare whatever vegetable(s) you are pickling and place in a sterile canister jar. Pour the liquid over to cover and let completely cool in the refrigerator before screwing on the lid.
Keeps in the fridge for about 1 month.
Ingredients
Pickling liquid:
- 1 cup white vinegar or sub rice vinegar
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 x 2-inch piece fresh ginger
- 2 allspice berries
- 2 juniper berries
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1-2 cinnamon sticks
- 7-8 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 piece star anise
- 5 black peppercorns
Instructions
- Place vinegar and water in a medium stockpot and bring to a boil, whisk in sugar and salt to dissolve. Add all the other spices and allow to steep for 20 minutes.
- Slice and prepare whatever vegetable(s) you are pickling and place in a sterile canister jar. Pour the liquid over to cover and let completely cool in the refrigerator before screwing on the lid.
- Keeps in the fridge for about 1 month.
Where do you buy your Juniper berries, allspice berries and star anise? Some of these are not readily available in grocery stores. Do you also like to make fermented vegetables (slaws made with carrots, cabbage, onions, some salt and spices)?
Hi Darlene, I guess I’m luckily that I’ve also found these spices in grocery stores in my area (I live in upstate NY). But in case you can’t find them in yours, my favorite spice store that also ship is Kalustyan’s in New York, you can check it out at: http://kalustyans.com/
I love making fermented vegetables! I wrote a blog post about it a while back on my other site: https://sunnygandara.com/the-healing-properties-of-fermented-foods/
Hi Sunny! I made pickled radishes with your recipe. They were fresh from my garden, and it’s so good. Gennady LOVES them. I didn’t have Star Anise at home so I used some Anise seed, and I had used my thyme for something else, so I put in oregano because I had that. I’m going to get Star Anise and I picked extra thyme to try it on another batch of radishes.
What recipes do you suggest for the radish tops?
Hey Mollie, so great to hear from you and that you tried out my pickle recipe! Your substitutions sound great to me 🙂 For your radish tops, I would either turn them into a pesto (If you need a recipe for that you can use the one in this post: https://sunnygandara.com/spring-into-the-season-with-a-delightful-asparagus-tart/) or fold into other salad greens for a nice, fresh salad. I also like to just sauté or stir fry them also and serve with roasted radishes, for instance. I think simple is best here! 🙂
Can you hot water bath can with this recipe?
Hi Mariah, not quite sure what you are asking but I do put my glass containers through a hot water bath – I don’t know what cans you are referring to but I typically use glass… does that help? If not, please clarify. Thanks for your question!
Anything pickled, vegetable wise, you can use a hot water bath on. I would use the pickling agent that keeps things crisp. If I remember right, it’s 20 minutes for quarts. You should look up a good time for it for you elevation.
The liquid for pickles taste delicious thanks I have one question I don’t need to give a bath to the jars after they color they have to be in the refrigerator for a month tk
Hi Nelly, I’m glad you enjoyed the pickling liquid! I’m afraid I don’t fully understand your question – are you asking if you need to sterilize the jars? I recommend boiling them in hot water as I mentioned in the post. Let me know if that answers your question! Thanks again for trying out my recipe! Sunny
Does it have to boiled each time to pickle vegetable or can you add veggies cold
Hi Cathy – it depends on what vegetables you are using. If you’re pickling things like beets and other hard/ root vegetables (carrots, pumpkin, parsnips etc) I prefer them to be boiled, but things like radishes, red onions and cucummbers can be raw, as they are softer and can more easily be “boiled” by the pickling liquid/acid… Hope that helps/make sense!
Thanks so much for sharing this info.
Your recipe sounds wonderful. Is the recipe suitable for preserving the pickles in a hot water bath process? Ant if so, how long does it need to process?
Hi Cindy, thanks for your kind comment. I’m not 100% sure what you mean by a hot water process, but I do boil the water and pour over the mixture, then let it cool before I refrigerate. Is that similar to what you were thinking?
They are asking if this can be put in a waterbath to finish the pickle so it can be placed in the pantry and not refrigerator.
Hi Krista, this recipe is for refrigeration only. Thanks!
How to pickling veg without refridge and still can eat？
Hi Kevin – I have a recipe for that too on my other blog sunnygandara.com – check it out:
https://sunnygandara.com/the-healing-properties-of-fermented-foods/
Hope that helps! – Sunny
I love fermented vegetables. Fermented vegetables retain all their nutrients and vitamins. Their nutritional value can even increase! https://www.bluntadventure.com
Hi Daniella, thanks for your comment and wholeheartedly agree! Sunny 🙂
Can this pickling liquid be used to make Pickled Lox?
What preparation would need to be done to Sushi grade salmon if yes?
Thanks
Hi Jane, this pickling liquid can be used for any recipe – I don’t provide instructions for how to make dishes with animal-based ingredients as this is a vegan site but I’m sure it will work well. Thanks for writing in! Sunny 🙂
My question is, it only keeps for 1 month in the fridge? I’m confused. Help
Hi there, yes after it’s opened I personally think a bit of the freshness of whatever you’ve pickled gets lost, but technically you can probably keep it for a couple of months. Hope that answers your question!
Hi there,
Am trying this recipe and think it’s going to be just fine, but for me, it will be gifted to those who prefer much sweeter pickles (I am pickling cucumbers).
Do you have a recipe that is for “dill” pickles I mighty try? And I don’t mean “kosher” – I don’t care for kosher pickles probably because of the garlic involved.
Thanks so much!
Hi Patty – I would try this recipe but just reduce the sugar, add a couple of tablespoons of kosher salt and perhaps omit the cinnamon stick. It really won’t taste too sweet as is either! Hope that works out, keep me posted! 🙂
Can you can this liquid with the vegetables thanks
Love the ideas and pickling varieties. The pictures look amazing. My only issue is the use of sugar. It negates the food value and with all the oversugaring of all foods globally, I find it alarming and look to reduce it to necessarily uses only. I’d rather eat well sourced meat – no point in being a fake vegan or vegetarian.
Thanks for your comment! Sugar is part of pickling as it in fact is a preservation ingredient also – used in old recipes. I do agree there is a lot of overuse of sugar in many recipes, especially in the U.S. (like why is there sugar in ketchup?!) but to demonize a food group because some abuse it, is also wrong in my opinion. Sugar in moderation, as with everything else. I am not sure what you mean about your “fake vegan” comment, people are vegan for a variety of reasons, many because they do not want to harm animals and would rather eat anything else but animals, whether it is ‘healthy’ or not. I fall into the group where I want both healthy (with a nice treat here and there) AND compassionately made dishes 🙂