The Art of Pickling: A Summer Delight

Zucchini is incredibly plentiful, inexpensive, and delicious, making it an ideal candidate for pickling. As we navigate the summertime season, I'm excited to share with you my process for creating a quick pickle that will elevate any salad. To begin, I'll prepare a simple pickling liquid by combining one cup of water, a bunch of fresh dill, and smashing two cloves of garlic (with its skin intact) into it.

The Pickling Liquid: A Simple yet Flawless Blend

I add half a cup of sugar to the mixture, followed by two cups of white wine vinegar. This combination may seem straightforward, but trust me when I say that it's where the magic happens. The acidity of the vinegar provides a perfect balance to the natural sweetness of the zucchini, while the dill and garlic add a burst of freshness and depth. This pickling liquid is versatile enough to be used for various vegetables, including meats like pickled pig's feet – a tradition that dates back to olden times.

A Brief History of Pickling

My grandfather, an avid gardener, would often pickle all the vegetables he grew in his bountiful harvest. The primary reason behind this practice was not necessarily for flavor, but rather to preserve the produce through the entire winter. By doing so, he could enjoy his homegrown vegetables well into the colder months. This tradition has stuck with me, and I love experimenting with different pickling liquids to enhance the natural flavors of various vegetables.

Choosing Zucchini for Pickling

I chose zucchini as my primary ingredient for this recipe because it lacks a robust flavor profile on its own. The pickling liquid is almost like a marinade, where it cooks the zucchini through and imparts a multitude of flavors with each component – particularly that dill and garlic. With the right balance of ingredients, even the humblest of vegetables can transform into something truly exceptional.

The Shelf Life of Pickled Zucchini

When done correctly, pickled zucchini will last for two weeks to a month in the fridge. However, if you choose to jar and seal it, then sterilize it, the shelf life can extend up to a year when stored properly in your pantry. This makes for an ideal addition to any meal or snack.

Creating the Perfect Salad

Now that our pickled zucchini is ready, let's create a salad that showcases its beauty! I'll add some beautiful seasonal tomatoes and fresh mozzarella to the mix, finishing it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. The result is a light, crisp salad that celebrates the simplicity of summer.

The Power of Freestyling

One of my favorite aspects of creating salads is the freedom to experiment and make it one's own. With this pickled zucchini as our star, we can add an array of flavors and textures to create something truly special. I'll zest some citrus over top and use the juice as a dressing – a decision that pays off in spades!

Borrowing from Friends

As we enjoy our salad together, I ask if I can borrow your pepper (clearly, it's not just any pepper but rather a beautifully seasoned one). We load up on crunchy sea salt and make it our own. It's moments like these that remind us why pickling is such an art form – the joy of sharing flavors and experiences with others.

Final Thoughts

With this simple recipe, you'll be well on your way to creating your own delicious pickled zucchini. Whether you're a seasoned foodie or just starting out, remember that pickling is all about experimenting with flavors and textures. So go ahead, try new combinations, and don't be afraid to share your creations with others – for in the world of pickling, sharing is caring!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: eni'm gonna make a little pickled zucchini and this is gonna go on a salad in the summertime zucchini is incredibly plentiful it's inexpensive and it's delicious so the first thing i'm gonna do is get a pickling liquid going i have one cup of water a bunch of dill and this is a quick pickle we're not doing this necessarily to preserve we're doing it more for flavor so i smash two cloves of garlic leave the skin on throw them right in half cup of sugar and then two cups of white wine vinegar and that is it for our pickling liquid a lot of vegetables could be pickled and they used to pickle purely to preserve so like my grandfather always kept a big garden and he would pickle all the time and that's it wasn't really for flavor purposes it was because he'd have this bountiful harvest and he wanted the vegetables through the entire winter so he would pickle them to preserve them i have a grill ripping over high here i'm just gonna let this come to a simmer so i could pickle like any vegetable or do you just pickle vegetables oh most vegetables could be pickled they also um you know in olden times they used to pickle a lot of meats like pickled pig's feet i like doing this with zucchini because zucchini doesn't have a ton of flavor on its own so the pickling liquid is almost like blasting it in a marinade real quick where it cooks it through and makes it tender but also gives it a lot of flavor with that dill and the garlic in there and so once you pickle the zucchini how long does it last so we're going to use it today it would last two weeks to a month i would say in the fridge but if you jarred it and sealed it and sterilized it it would last in your pantry for a year all right i'm going to take this pickling liquid which is at a simmer and i'm going to dump it over my cut zucchini and then in 5 to 10 minutes this pickled zucchini is going to be ready to eat for our salad it's going to be pickled zucchini little beautiful seasonal tomatoes some fresh mozzarella a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil so super light super crisp i'm gonna let this hang out we're in good shape i think that the thing with these kind of sailed is you get these beautiful fresh tomatoes the great mozzarella and then you just freestyle it and make it your own i'm gonna zest this and do the juice okay i like it instead of like a vinaigrette or anything like that that's gorgeous that's well i am going to can i borrow your pepper oh you can oh you're going to load it up i also have some crunchy sea salt something i'm going to put yes of course you know i like mine did you hit that with olive oil yes i did here's a plate for you great i love the salad the acidity of the zucchini the sweetness of the tomatoes the creaminess of the fresh mods youi'm gonna make a little pickled zucchini and this is gonna go on a salad in the summertime zucchini is incredibly plentiful it's inexpensive and it's delicious so the first thing i'm gonna do is get a pickling liquid going i have one cup of water a bunch of dill and this is a quick pickle we're not doing this necessarily to preserve we're doing it more for flavor so i smash two cloves of garlic leave the skin on throw them right in half cup of sugar and then two cups of white wine vinegar and that is it for our pickling liquid a lot of vegetables could be pickled and they used to pickle purely to preserve so like my grandfather always kept a big garden and he would pickle all the time and that's it wasn't really for flavor purposes it was because he'd have this bountiful harvest and he wanted the vegetables through the entire winter so he would pickle them to preserve them i have a grill ripping over high here i'm just gonna let this come to a simmer so i could pickle like any vegetable or do you just pickle vegetables oh most vegetables could be pickled they also um you know in olden times they used to pickle a lot of meats like pickled pig's feet i like doing this with zucchini because zucchini doesn't have a ton of flavor on its own so the pickling liquid is almost like blasting it in a marinade real quick where it cooks it through and makes it tender but also gives it a lot of flavor with that dill and the garlic in there and so once you pickle the zucchini how long does it last so we're going to use it today it would last two weeks to a month i would say in the fridge but if you jarred it and sealed it and sterilized it it would last in your pantry for a year all right i'm going to take this pickling liquid which is at a simmer and i'm going to dump it over my cut zucchini and then in 5 to 10 minutes this pickled zucchini is going to be ready to eat for our salad it's going to be pickled zucchini little beautiful seasonal tomatoes some fresh mozzarella a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil so super light super crisp i'm gonna let this hang out we're in good shape i think that the thing with these kind of sailed is you get these beautiful fresh tomatoes the great mozzarella and then you just freestyle it and make it your own i'm gonna zest this and do the juice okay i like it instead of like a vinaigrette or anything like that that's gorgeous that's well i am going to can i borrow your pepper oh you can oh you're going to load it up i also have some crunchy sea salt something i'm going to put yes of course you know i like mine did you hit that with olive oil yes i did here's a plate for you great i love the salad the acidity of the zucchini the sweetness of the tomatoes the creaminess of the fresh mods you\n"