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Farmers Market Pickled Crudité Platter.
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Are these not the prettiest pickled veggies you have ever seen?
I am in love with all these colors, flavors, and pretty much everything about this basic go-to recipe.
I’ve always wondered about pickling veggies (and fruits too), but until recently I’ve never had the urge to try out any pickling of my own. I am a huge, huge fan of pretty much all fruits and veggies, but up until now I either ate them raw, sautéed, or roasted. With the Farmers Markets bursting with fresh produce, I was recently inspired to try my hand at pickling. I did some research and tried out a few different flavor combos and I’m really excited to share this simple, basic recipe that everyone should have on hand this summer.
Whether you’re up to your ears in produce from you garden, CSA box, or local farmers market, this is the perfect recipe to use up all that produce…especially if it’s at the stage where it has seen better days.
The formula for pickling is really pretty simple. All you’ll need is vinegar, water, salt, sugar, fresh herbs and spice flavorings. My recipe uses apple cider vinegar, water, kosher salt, and honey. I’m leaving the flavorings up to you so that you can make your pickled veggies according to your preferred taste. I used a mix of thyme, dill, basil, garlic, and fresh peppercorns. Feel free to have fun with your flavoring combos though, experiment and see what you like best.
I did a quick pickle and allowed my veggies to sit for about 4 hours, but the longer you let them sit, the more flavor they will develop.
Here are a few tips/tricks for pickling success…
–> use a mix of your favorite veggies. I used beets, carrots, asparagus, cucumbers, purple cauliflower, and bell peppers. Other veggies that would work well would be, zucchini, summer squash, ginger, red onion, radishes and green beans (blanch these first to preserve their color).
–> don’t be afraid to try pickling fruits. I pickled strawberries and cherries, but peaches, nectarines, and berries would all be great. Just be sure when you are pickling fruit to pair it with sweet flavors and maybe even up the amount of honey in the recipe from 2 to 3 tablespoons. If you’d like to use herbs, I used thyme or basil and thought they worked great.
–> both garlic, ginger, and thinly sliced onions can add a lot of flavor to your pickles, but be sure to use them to your liking, as sometime the garlic and onions can overpower the flavors of the veggies or fruits. I love onions paired with cucumber, garlic paired with beets, and ginger paired with peaches!
–> try using a variety of fresh herbs to flavor your pickles. I like using thyme, dill, basil, oregano, and rosemary.
–> for spices, use the flavorings you love most. I like a little heat, so I used fresh chili peppers, and peppercorns. Other spices that work well are coriander seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, and crushed red chile flakes.
Be sure to check out my Farmers Market Pickled Crudité Platter for a fun way to present these pickled veggies!
Quick Pickled Veggies
Servings: 1 recipe
Calories Per Serving: 766 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- fresh herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, basil, and dill
- 2-4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 teaspoon each black peppers and coriander seeds
- crush red pepper flakes or sliced chile peppers (optional)
- 2 pounds fresh fruits and veggies such as carrots, beets, cauliflower, asparagus, cherries, and strawberries
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons honey or sugar
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- 1. If using, divide the herbs - garlic, peppercorns, coriander seeds, and chile flakes, among glass jars. Pack the fruits and veggies into the jars, packing them in tight, but leaving a 1/2 inch space at the top of the jar. 2. In a large pot, bring the vinegar, water, salt, and honey to a boil over high heat, stirring until the salt has dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice. Pour the pickling brine over the fruits and veggies, filling the jars up to 1/2 inch from the top. Seal the jars and let them cool at room temperature. Chill at least 4 hours and up to 2 months. The longer the fruits and veggies sit, the more flavor they will develop.
Notes
Nutritional values are based on the whole recipe
Hi Tieghan!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I used it once about a year ago and LOVED it. My gut was extremely happy it was getting some wonderful probiotics. I’m back at it again now and dont remember if this is something I leave out on the counter…or should I keep it in the fridge? You say ‘chill’ for at least 4 hours and up to 2 months….I’m probably way over thinking this…but does chill mean fridge…or just chill as in let it be. lol
Thank you again!!!
HI! I recommend keeping these in the fridge. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan ?
Adding honey may sweeten the pickled veggies naturally. That sounds so new to me, never think of before! Thank you for suggestion!
I hope you love it! Thank you Stacey!
cant wait to try this.
I hope you love it Bruce!
Hi Tieghan! I love your recipes and beautiful pictures. Quick question on the pickled beets. Do I have to roast or boil the beets before picking?
HI! No need to cook the beets prior to pickling them. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! ?
Just came across this post as I was searching for a recipe to quick pickle some bell peppers. I’m not a fan of raw peppers and this is being made at the request of a friend. What spices/herbs would you suggest? I’m thinking of adding red onion and garlic but not sure if they need more than that. He likes heat too so I may find a tiny pepper to super thin slice into it. Too many choices!!! Lol
HI! I like to use oregano, dill, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Do these pickled veggies have the probiotics of fermented foods like sauerkraut?
It depends how long you let them ferment, but yes they do have probiotics. That said, I am not a nutritionist and I dont know how many. Hope that helps!
Wondering if you have a recipe starring green beans? I tried to search the archives, but came up empyy.
,Yoir site is amazing!
Kathy
HI! Sadly no green bean recipes…obviously need to change that! Maybe next Thanksgiving. Please let me know if you have other questions. Sorry I didn’t have anything for you. Thanks! 🙂
Looks good,will try it today with cucumbers and beets from my garden. Thanks for the recipe.
Hope you loved it Tatyana! Thanks for trying it!
Just wanted to say that these photos are amazing!! Love the colors.
Thank you so much Natasha!
Beyond gorgeous, and such a great recipe for summer!
Loving making summer recipes again!! So fun!
Great post – love all the colours here, they looks so gorgeous together!
Rebecca
xx
http://www.peppermintdolly.com
Thanks so much Rebecca!
I have a TON of radishes right now. I think I’ll try a little pickled recipe for them this week 🙂
So perfect!! Hope they’re delicious!
What size jars did you use–I want to be sure I have enough pickling liquid to fill what I have already packed with veggies. A little measure tip would help me. Thanks!
Mine are 12 ounces, but you can use a larger 16 ounce jar as well. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love these veggies!
These look fantastic and I love pickled veggies. However, I do not eat sugar. Do you think it would work if I substituted stevia, xylitol, or erythritol for the sugar? I know I would have to experiment with the amounts. Thank you.
Hi Diane! Yes, that will work or you can leave the sugar out completely. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love these veggies! 🙂
Tieghan, I make a salad with strawberries, basil, and balsamic vinegar. Do you think I could sub in the balsamic vinegar for the cider vinegar in this recipe? Would it work to pickle the strawberries?
Hi! As much as I love balsamic, it does not work well with pickling. It’s a very intense flavor. I would recommend adding just 1-2 tablespoons if you like that flavor and use the apple cider for the rest. Let me know if you have you questions. Thank you! 🙂
I love pickled vegetables! But I’ve never tried fruits – I would like to try strawberries and basil, it sounds delicious!
Yes they’re delish!! Hope you get to try them Vicky!