A beginner’s guide to quick pickles, bread and butter pickles, and crisp fermented pickle spears.
If you have a kitchen garden and have been blessed with a bounty of pickling cucumbers (a common variety are called Kirby cucumbers), these three recipes will please any palate.
But don’t worry if you don’t grow your own. Pickling cucumbers are sold at most farmers markets as well as at grocery stores. And if pickling cucumbers are not available to you, even the common English or hothouse cucumber varieties make great pickles and are usually available all year round.
Quick Pickles for Any Palate
When making quick pickles, you have two options: sweet or savory. Sweet pickles are delicious, but for those watching their sugar intake, the savory option still provides lots of pleasing flavor. Plus, with this recipe, you’re not limited to cucumbers: You can pickle a variety of vegetables, so long as they lean on the hardier side. Carrots, cauliflower, pearl onions, radishes, and sweet bell peppers make superb pickles. You can even combine them in one jar.
