How to Pickle Fruits and Vegetables: A Quick Guide to Refrigerator Pickling
To many of us, pickling fruit can be boring and laborious so we prefer to buy the finished goods from the supermarket. What we don’t know is that the ones we get are not as healthy as the ones we can make ourselves. For starters, the commercial pickled fruits and veggies have a lot of salt or sugar, so if we make it at home we can control the amount we want to add to the jars.
Also, it is a great way of getting to know what you are eating and controlling the quality of it. In addition, making healthy choices and increasing your vegetables and fruits in your meals is a very wise choice and it will help your immune system. There are not bad choices when it comes to pickling but the most common ones are: cucumber, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, jalapeños, etc. The key is to find a recipe you like and make it work with the veggie or fruit you choose.
Follow these short steps and you will be able to make your own magic recipes.
- Make a brine
There are several ways of making a brine, some being sugar free and others using different types of vinegar but we recommend you use a simple one for starting.
- 1 cup of apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of sugar (or supplement)
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- Chop the food
This is the part where you choose the veggies or fruits of your preference and create your own mixes. It allows you to play around and be creative. Make sure to chop your food thoroughly so it has no problem fitting in the desired container. Put your veggies or fruits into a jar.
- Put it into a jar
It’s time to put the brine into the jars. Ideally you must fill the jar with the liquid until it’s an inch from the top. After you finish filling them, seal them and put them in the refrigerator as soon as possible. Your recipes will be ready to taste in 12 to 24 hours.
This process also helps the environment because you can reuse the jars after you eat the ones you prepared. It’s not only healthier for us but it takes care of other issues of our concern. Also, it will help you control your consumption of sugars and salt if you are struggling with it. You can be your own chief and take care of the problem right away.
It’s very important we control our eating habits, being that nowadays the food industries are only concerned about selling “delicious” products and don’t pay attention to the damage they cause to our health. Being our own “food creators” gives us the liberty to control what we put into our mouths and have a controlled and balanced diet. It’s a path we recommend for the people who want to eat healthier but also teach an eating habit to their children. We are setting an example for them and it relies on us what they might become in the future.