Pink Pickled Cauliflower and Cabbage

Wanting a pickle that was ready faster than 3-4 weeks I decided upon this recipe for Pink Pickled Cauliflower and Cabbage. It gets the name "pink" from the red cabbage that is included in the recipe, which turns the pickling liquid a pleasant, light pink hue. The advantage of this recipe is that it requires only 10 days to mature and no canning is involved! I found some nice (and cheap) cauliflower at the Pasadena Farmers' Market this Saturday (though no Kirby cucumbers!!!) so I decided upon this recipe adapted from "The Joy of Pickling".

Recipe:

-1/2 cauliflower head divided into small pieces

-1/4 small red cabbage head sliced into long pieces (or whatever shape you choose)

-2 dried chile de arbol sliced in half

-1 teaspoon fennel seeds (or caraway...I used fennel)

-1 bay leaf

Pickling liquid:

-2 1/4 cups white wine vinegar

-2 1/4 cups water

-2 tablespoons pickling salt (I used 3 tablespoons kosher salt)

This liquid makes enough for 2 quarts, while the recipe only is for 2 pints so beware you'll have left over pickling liquid (I used a 2 pint jar for this particular recipe)!

Sterilize a 2 pint jar either by immersing it in a boiling water bath (lifted off the bottom by a canning or steaming rack) for 10 minutes or you can put it in an over for 10 minutes at 200 degrees. After the jar (or jars) have been sterilized, pack the vegetables and spices equally into the jar.

Combine the pickling liquid ingredients and stir until all salt is dissolved (may require heating if using kosher salt...I just put my measuring jar into the microwave for 15 seconds). Pour over the vegetables in the jar and cap. Let stand for 10 days at room temperature in a cool, dark place. Pickles will be ready after the 10 days so make sure to refrigerate even if you don't eat them right away. They should keep 4-6 weeks.

I don't quite have the knack of scaling down the pickling liquid yet from recipes, which is why I always end up with left overs so if you follow this recipe you will, too. But, you can always use the leftovers to make more of this recipe since the only thing that really matters is the proportions of vinegar, water, and salt. Otherwise, you should feel free to play around with spices and vegetables. You may also make refrigerator pickles by just combining the liquid with vegetables and experimenting with varied amounts of time (such as 1 day, 3 days, and 1 week).