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Gardiniera (Mixed Veg pickles)

Adapted from The Plucky Pickle. This makes as much or as little as you like, so just choose the jar(s) and adjust quantities to suit. Great for lifting a bean/green salad, houmous sandwich, or creamy pasta dish.
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Ingredients
  

  • Veg: E.g. ¼ cauli, ½ beetroot, ½ fennel, 1 carrot, radishes, celery in bite size chunks, or smaller if you prefer
  • Optional: Shallot, 1 clove garlic, 1 chilli (sliced) sliced or roughly chopped
  • Herbs: 5 peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, a couple stalks dill, etc. whole
  • 3% cold brine: E.g. for ~500ml put 15g salt in a jug, fill to 500g with boiled filtered water, stir to dissolve, and cool.

Instructions
 

  • Chop or slice the veg as desired (smaller for harder bits like cauli stalks).
  • Put herbs, chillies & garlic in the jar. Pack in the veg but not too tight.
  • Fill with brine, leaving a bit of space on top.
  • Ferment as follows:
  • Put lid on loosely so nothing explodes, with a dish underneath for drips. Ferment at room temp (out of the sun) 7-14 days, ’til it’s as tangy as you like. Note, warm rooms ferment faster!
  • Every 1-2 days, press down with a clean fork to get out bubbles and keep everything covered in brine. (Air can cause mould!)
  • Don’t worry if you see bubbles or cloudiness, this is all part of the process - but if you see lots of mould that’s not a good sign.
  • Once it’s fermented, it should last for months in the fridge.
  • For more info, ask knowledgeable friends or the internet – or find a pickling workshop, there are a few around Manchester.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!