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Summer Quick Pickling with Delicious Water

The end of summer is fast approaching. What are you going to do with all of your seasonal fruits and vegetables?

Why quick pickling?

canning pickling with water

The quickest and simplest way to preserve almost all your produce is to quick pickle them. Quick pickling is super simple. All you need is boiling water, vinegar, salt (and/or sugar) and spices. Mix them all together then cover your fruit or veggies with the liquid and wait for a few hours. A good quick pickle has that sharp tang and crisp snap, leaving behind a taste of summer.

If you’re wondering, “What’s the difference between a canned pickling and a quick pickling?” you’re not alone. Think of the quick pickle process as marinating your produce, where as a canned pickle uses a stronger brine and the water-bath canning process, helping extend their shelf life further than a quick pickle. Because a quick pickle is not canned, they last around 2 months and have to be stored in the refrigerator.

Quick Pickling Recipe

Here is a basic quick pickling brine that is very easy to remember and can be used with virtually any fruit or vegetable.

  • 1 cup vinegar, such as white, apple cider, or rice
    – Stay away from aged or concentrated vinegars like balsamic or malt vinegar
  • 1 cup water
    – For the best tasting water, consider a home water filtration system for consistently delicious, contamination-free water
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt or 2 teaspoons pickling salt

You can add black peppercorns and mustard seeds for a classic flavor, but really the options for flavors are limitless! Change the vinegar type or mix different vinegars together, use more or fewer spices, add in fresh herbs, add sugar, etc.

Use the Best Water Available

The worst thing that can happen to a quick pickle is that it ends up tasting metallic. This is usually due to the water you’re using. Getting a home water filtration system gives your family, pets, and recipes the healthiest, best-tasting water for drinking and cooking. Depending on the type of home water filtration system, it not only will improve the taste of your home’s water but also remove odors, metals, chemicals and other contaminates. Learn more at Clearwater Systems