A Quick Pickle Fix: Turn Your Summer Garden Bounty Into Crunchy, Tangy, Almost-Instant Pickles

Quick-pickling is a short-term method that involves marinating the vegetables in a sugar-and-vinegar brine. casanisa/Shutterstock

I do like my pickles, but I’m a lazy preserver. My solution is a speedy fix that omits the bother of canning: I make quick pickles. Quick-pickling is for impatient types like me, with (nearly) instantly gratifying results.

No time is better for pickling than summer, which yields more vegetables than you can shake a stick at. The gardens are bursting with ripe produce, as are the farmers markets. Once you’ve munched through your garden and shopping basket, cooked, roasted, and steamed your pickings, and tossed your harvests into salads, the question of what to do with the ever-replenishing mountain of veggies presents itself—not unlike a large, leafy green elephant in the room.

Crisp vegetables are great contenders, such as cauliflower, carrots, turnips, green beans, beets, pickling cucumbers, fennel, and cabbage. zarzamora/Shutterstock

This is the moment to quick-pickle. Quick-pickling differs from canning and jarring in that it’s a short-term method that involves marinating the vegetables in a sugar and vinegar brine. (Canning is more technical, involving a process that allows the food to remain safely edible for lengthy periods of time.) Anything that’s quick-pickled should be stored in the refrigerator and consumed within two weeks. For pickle pigs, like myself, this isn’t a deterrent.

All sorts of vegetables enjoy a pickle; just be sure to use the freshest produce available. You can brine a variety together or individually. Crisp vegetables are great contenders, such as cauliflower, carrots, turnips, green beans, beets, pickling cucumbers, fennel, and cabbage. The advantage of quick-pickling is that the vegetables will keep their crunch, which is essential to a good pickle.

The brine is equally essential to the pickle. Here, you can have a little fun with aromatics and spices, depending on what you’re pickling. A brine is traditionally an equal ratio of vinegar to water, plus sugar and salt. You can adjust the sugar to your taste, but avoid leaning too sweet, or the brine will be too saccharine. The vinegar can be white, red wine, rice wine, or apple cider vinegar. Avoid syrupy, aged vinegars such as balsamic. Tweak the aromatics using whole seeds, such as mustard, coriander, fennel, or peppercorn. Fresh and dried herbs are also important: Sprigs of dill, rosemary, thyme, or oregano add flavor and nuance.

Once jarred, the pickles can live in your refrigerator for up to two weeks. The longer they sit in the brine, the stronger their flavor.

Have fun with flavoring your brine with different aromatics and spices, depending on what you are pickling. Lynda Balslev for Tastefood

Quick Summer Pickles

Active Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes, plus cooling time

Makes 1 to 1 1/2 quarts

• 2 pounds fresh vegetables

For the Brine

• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar, or white vinegar
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds

Thoroughly wash and dry heatproof glass jars with wide lids.

Wash and trim the vegetables as needed.

If using fresh herb sprigs, place inside the jars. Tightly pack the vegetables into the jars with the sprigs.

Combine the brine ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve. Pour the brine over the vegetables, leaving about 1/2 inch space at the top. Cover the jars and cool to room temperature.

Refrigerate for at least 24 hours or up to 2 weeks. The flavors will develop with time.