Quick kitchen-scrap pickle

Quick pickling is a great way to use up any vegetables in the fridge at the end of the week, as well as those leftover vegie stems – cauliflower, beetroot, broccoli and kale stems all make really delicious pickles!

Quick kitchen-scrap pickle Credit: Murdoch Books / Alan Benson

• makes

  500

• prep

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

And it’s so simple: no need to worry about sterilising jars and lids sealing.

These pickles need to be kept in the fridge, and will last for about 2 weeks in an airtight jar or sealed container.

If you have any leftover brine from the bottom of other jars of pickles, you can gently heat it up in a small saucepan and use it for quick-pickling, following the same method below.

Ingredients

• 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) white wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) very hot water
• 75 g (2½ oz/⅓ cup) sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 cup sliced vegetables of your choice
• 1 tsp spices of your choice, or a few slices of fresh ginger, chilli or a bay leaf

Cooling time: 20 minutes

Makes 1 x 500 ml container

Instructions

To make the brine, combine the vinegar, hot water, sugar and salt in a jug. Stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved.

Add your thinly sliced vegetables and your spices to a non-reactive container. Mix together well.

Pour the hot brine over the vegetables and leave to sit for at least 20 minutes.

Once cooled, cover and store in the fridge. The pickles will last for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe and Image from Cornersmith Salads and Pickles by Alex Elliott-Howery and Sabine Spindler (Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99) Photography by Alan Benson.

Read more Cornersmith tips and recipes for cutting waste here. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

And it’s so simple: no need to worry about sterilising jars and lids sealing.

These pickles need to be kept in the fridge, and will last for about 2 weeks in an airtight jar or sealed container.

If you have any leftover brine from the bottom of other jars of pickles, you can gently heat it up in a small saucepan and use it for quick-pickling, following the same method below.