Broccoli Stem Fridge Pickles

Since people appear curious, here is a quick recap on our Broccoli Stem Pickles.  I’ll post a picture when we return.  An excellent resource with beautiful pictures and recipes for canning a plethora of items is Food in Jars.  Good long-weekend blog reading!

Broccoli Stem Fridge Pickles

Ingredients:

• lots of broccoli stems (I head a head of broccoli)
• a few cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup white vinegar(make sure it has 5% acidity)
• 1/2 cup water (preferably filtered)
• 1/2 tablespoon course sea salt
• a tablespoon or so pickling spices (we had a bag in our random spice jar)
• OR you can use leftover pickle brine and some vinegar (see this post for info) – should have about a cup of liquid
• 1 small glass jar with lid, cleaned well with hot water and dried (If you have a LOT of stems and want to make a larger jar, adjust the recipe)

To Do:

1. Cut up enough broccoli stems so they fit in your jar with the prerequisite 1/2″ of headspace.  Place in jar with garlic.  For kicks, add some jalapeno (we had some slices in the fridge that I wanted to use up).
2. Boil the vinegar, water, salt and spices OR boil leftover pickle juice, vinegar and some water.  These are refrigerator pickles, not rocket science.
3. Pour the mixture over the stems (check that headspace out).  Cap tightly and place in fridge.  They should be ready to eat in 2-3 days and will last for 2 weeks in the fridge.

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