For my preservation, I wanted to do pickling.The definition of pickling is the process of preserving or expanding the lifespan of food by either in brine or immersion in vinegar. The resulting food is called a pickle, or, to prevent ambiguity, prefaced with the adjective pickled The pickling procedure will typically affect the food’s texture and flavor. In East Asia, Vinaigrette (vegetable oil and vinegar) is also used as a pickling medium. Foods that are pickled include meats, fruits, eggs, and vegetables.H
Here is a website that talks a little bit about pickling.
I decided to use cauliflower, carrots and bell pepper. with this, I created a hot, pickled mixed vegetables. using the recipe below:
- For pickling liquid
- 2 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
- 3 cups water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 5 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
- For vegetables
- 1 head cauliflower (2 lb), trimmed and broken into 1- to 1 1/2-inch florets (6 cups)
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices (2 cups
To create this I began with mixing the pickling liquid into a pot and heating it until the sugar dissolved once it dissolved I moved it to a stainless steel bowl to cool.
Then I put a pot of water on to boil and proceed with cutting the vegetables for the picking.
When that was done and the water was boiled I started by placing the cauliflower into the water and let it cook for 4 minutes. Then put them in an ice bath to stop them from cooking further. I then did the same for the carrots and peppers.
Then I placed the cool vegetables into a mason jar and added the pickling liquid. Then sealed the lids. This is my final product.
This pickling liquid was very acidic it smelt strong with vinegar and tasted bitter sour with a slight spicey taste. The vegetables themselves with the liquid bring in a vinegar taste along with some heat from the chilis.
If I were to do this again I would add more vegetables and different kinds of vegetables. I would add a bit more heat because I personally love spice. This pickling liquid was very good.However, I did not vegetable cuts I felt like they could have been better. If I were to do this again I would make my cuts look better.