Re: [CH] making pickles

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All,
  I make a lot of "fresh" pickled vegetables.  That is to say, pickled veggies that aren't meant to be stored for an extended period of time, but eaten when they are "done".  I think that the Jewish term is half-sour.  My personal favorites are okra, kirbys, Israeli cucumbers, and brussel sprouts.
  The first, and IMHO key, step is to slightly boil the vegetables (to soften them up a bit) and then to immediately brine them over night in a cold salt water bath (using either sea salt or kosher salt) to extract a lot of their internal moisture.  A few quick knife or fork pricks follows to prepare them for the next step.
  I remove the veggies from the brine, which I discard and then place them in a non-reactive container.
  I make a new pickling mixture consisting of one part white wine vinegar and two parts water in a quantity to completely immerse the veggies.
  
I then add the following to the pickling mixture and veggies:

1 TSP of mustard seed
1 TSP of celerary seed
1/2 TSP coriander seed
2 cloves of garlic (thinly sliced)
3 TSP of red pepper flakes (or your chile powder of choice)
1 scallion (thinly sliced_

Refrigerate for two or three weeks and then enjoy!

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• Maybe in reply to: Nels Peterson Family: "[CH] making pickles"