Last Updated on 6 March 2026 by Adrienne
Table of Contents
Fermenting brine
Most vegetables can be fermented using a 5% salt solution i.e. 50 grams of salt dissolved in 1 liter of water. Use distilled water instead of tap water preferably. Make sure the jars are sterilized.
Home Made Pickling Spice
I got this recipe from the Charcuterie bible by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp black peppercorns
- 2 Tbsp mustard seeds
- 2 Tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 Tbsp dried chili flakes
- 2 Tbsp allspice berries
- 1 Tbsp ground mace / nutmeg
- 2 small cinnamon sticks broke into pieces
- 24 bay leaves, crumbled
- 2 Tbsp wholes cloves
- 1 Tbsp ground ginger
Roast the peppercorns, mustard seeds and coriander seeds slightly in a dry pan. Crush it slightly in a pestle and mortar and mix with the other ingredients. Store in an air tight holder.
Pickled Radishes
The original recipe can be found here.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch radishes, about 250g, properly cleaned and cut into 2-3mm slices
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp dried crushed red pepper optional
- 1 whole star anise
Method
Place the radishes in a hot, sterilized jar.
Bring the rest of the ingredients to a boil in a pot. Pour the hot liquid in the jar, making sure the radishes are covered. Seal the jar.
Pickled Mushrooms
The original recipe can be found here.
Ingredients
- 500g Portobellini mushrooms (or white button mushrooms), cleaned
- Water, enough to cover the mushrooms
- 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- ½ cup white wine vinegar
- The Marinade
- 2 cups water
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 6 bay leaves
- 8 whole peppercorns
- 6 Tbsp white wine vinegar
Method
Blanch the mushrooms for 1 minute in boiling water and the ½ cup of white wine vinegar. Strain the mushrooms and put it in an airtight container(s) or glass jar(s) with the garlic. Discard the liquid.
Bring the water, sugar, salt, bay leaves and peppercorn to a boil in a separate pot. Once the salt and sugar have dissolved, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the 6 tablespoons of vinegar.
Pour the marinade over the mushrooms and seal the containers.
Two-Way Sweet and Sour Pickled Beetroot
Yield: 2 standard pint-sized (500ml) jars
Ingredients
The Beets & Brine:
- 6 to 8 medium whole beetroots
- 2 cups white or apple cider vinegar (must be 5% acidity)
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher or canning salt
Jar 1 Aromatics (Savoury Herby):
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
- 2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
Jar 2 Aromatics (Warm Spiced):
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 1 whole star anise pod
- 2 to 3 whole cloves
- 3 to 4 whole allspice berries
Instructions
- Cook the beets: Wash the beetroots gently, leaving the root tail and about an inch of the stem attached (this prevents them from bleeding out all their vibrant colour into the water). Boil them in a large pot of water until they are tender when pierced with a fork, which takes about 45 to 60 minutes depending on their size.
- Peel and slice: Drain the beets and let them cool until you can handle them safely. The skins should easily slip right off when you rub them with your fingers. Trim off the tops and tails, and slice the beets into your preferred thickness.
- Prepare the jars: Ensure you have two thoroughly clean, sterilised glass jars ready to go.
- Build the flavour bases: Drop the garlic, thyme, and peppercorns into the bottom of the first jar. Drop the cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and allspice into the bottom of the second jar. To make Jar 2 extra flavourful, toast those whole dry spices in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant before putting them in the jar.
- Pack the beets: Snugly pack your sliced beets into both jars on top of the aromatics. Leave about ½ inch of empty space at the very top of the jar.
- Boil the brine: In a saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, brown sugar, and salt. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the brown sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
- Fill the jars: Carefully pour the hot brine into the jars, fully submerging the beets. Ensure you maintain that ½ inch of empty space at the top.
- Remove air and seal: Tap the jars gently on the counter to release any trapped air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp cloth to ensure a good seal, then tightly screw on the lids.
Tips:
To safely store these for a long time in your pantry, they will need to be processed in boiling water, but if you want to eat them sooner, they can just go straight into the fridge once cooled.
Always stick to whole spices rather than ground spices. Ground cinnamon or cloves will make your brine look murky and leave a gritty texture on your beets.
A quick tip for maximum flavour: If you want those whole spices in Jar 2 to really pop, you can toast them in a dry pan over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes until they smell fragrant before dropping them into your jar.