This Simple Method Will Give You Pickled Fruits or Vegetables in Less than 30 Minutes
Staring at a fridge full of fruits and veggies you didn’t manage to eat before you’re about to leave for vacation is never a great feeling. But thanks to Britt Towers, known as @theblackfoodscientist on social media, and her ridiculously speedy tutorial, you now have a solution to prevent pre-travel food waste: Try pickling them!
With a simple brine of equal parts white and apple cider vinegars, a pinch of both salt and sugar, mustard seeds, and black peppercorns, you can save all of your fresh produce for snacking on when you return.
Known for teaching her 69,000-plus Instagram followers about all things food in 60 seconds, the food scientist incorporates a little, well, science into the post by explaining how her method of quick pickling is actually different from fermentation, thanks to the use of vinegar in the brine. For reference, vinegar is known to help preserve foods because it contains the antimicrobial acetic acid. So when you place the produce into your pickling liquid, the acid enters the produce and lowers the pH, thereby stopping the microbial growth.
As Britt mentions, there are two ways to quick pickle. The first method is perfect for on-the-go snacking (think: pickled vegetables like carrots, red onions, beets, peppers, and more) and can be achieved in just 20 minutes by heating up your pickling liquid and submerging the produce into it. The other way — which takes a bit longer — calls for you to place a Mason jar with brine and produce into the fridge for at least 24 hours. The result? The perfect snack to have for this weekend’s road trip or one to have when you return from your trip.
Still not sure what the difference between pickling and fermenting is? We’ve got you covered. This guide will break down everything you need to know about the two.