Whole Foods Cajun Pickle

I've been pulling carrots here and there all season. But didn't realize they should be harvested sooner than later before they start to get squishy. So out they went. And then we had a lot of carrots to eat. The overabundance of a particular food is the plight of many a gardener. And in a time like this I like to pickle things!

I tried out this Whole Foods recipe for a veggie pickle last year and it turned out wonderfully. The perfect balance of spicy, garlicky goodness.

Pickled Cajun Green Beans and Carrots: by Whole Foods

These amounts will make about 2 pint jars or one large jar, so plan accordingly for the quantity of veggies you have

Salt
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed
1/2 pound carrots, trimmed and cut into ½-inch wide sticks
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 whole black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or a small whole cayenne pepper)
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup sugar

Start a large pot of salted boiling water to blanch the veggies. Put the cut and washed veggies into the boiling water and let them cook for 2-3 minutes, just until tender. Have a large bowl filled with ice ready. Strain the veggies and immediately put them over the ice, then fill the rest of the bowl with water. This will stop them from cooking any longer.

Slice up the onions super thin, I use a mandolin. And peel and crush the garlic cloves. Put all of the spices in your jar(s). 

Combine the vinegar and sugar in a pan and cook on low heat 'til the sugar dissolves. While you let the vinegar cool, strain the veggies and with clean hands or tongs pack the veg in the jar(s). When the vinegar solution has cooled you can add it to the jar leaving a quarter inch of room on top. Let them cool a bit more, lid them, give them a good shake, and refrigerate them. Don't crack into them for at least 24 hours.

These were a hit last year. They're great to bring with you to barbecues as a little gift (tie the lid with some raffia, so cute!) or just to snack on at home. Because they're not actually canned they won't last forever. But left unopened in the fridge I say they could keep for a few months. Use your best judgement, no fingers in the jar! And if you see signs of haziness then best to toss them. But we never got to that point because they went so fast!

Next post will be about too many tomatoes... (No such thing!)