Probably when you think of pickles you think of cucumbers, maybe peppers. But you can pickle everything.

Pickling can be a great way to put up all that produce coming from your CSA to be eaten later. One of my favorites is pickled okra, which is all over the place where I grew up in East Tennessee, but I don’t find it very much at farmers’ markets here. So sad, very little okra these days. For want of okra, I pickle green beans, yellow squash, radishes (all kinds including daikon), peppers, beets, carrots, cucumbers and then mixes of all of the above with onions and garlic. (Editor’s note: The way Sarah mixes vegetables and pickles the shit out of them is a revelation). I recently branched out into making relish from yellow squash, which turned out fabulously. Then there is also exciting wild fermentation and sauerkraut and kimchee, but that’s for another post and a better expert.

The thing about pickling that is too often lost is that it is SUPER easy. You don’t need any fancy kitchen equipment, and you aren’t going to die if it goes wrong somehow in the process. Worst case scenario, the texture and taste are off. But then you try again.

Here’s a good starter recipe for pickled green beans:

2 lbs. green beans (take any stems off but no need to trim the ends, cut off any mushy or brown parts)

Pack lengthwise in hot, squeaky clean jars (go ahead and boil the jars for a sec, or run them through the dishwasher)

Add to each jar:
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, whole
1 head of dill or 1 1/2 tbsp. dill seed
(The spices are the fun part. Increase the cayenne if you want, or the garlic. Or switch out the dill with something else, curry, celery seed, mustard seed, anything.)

Boil together:
2 1/2 c. water
2 1/2 c. vinegar
1/4 c. salt

Pour this over the beans in the jars, leaving about 1/4 of an inch at the top. Put the lids on, and put the jars into boiling water in the pot. Boil for about 15 minutes. Let them sit on the counter for about 30 minutes, or until you hear the seals pop. You know the jars are sealed when you push the center of the lid and it doesn’t pop back up. But don’t do this until they’ve been on the counter awhile. You want it to seal itself.

They’ll be ready to eat in a couple of weeks, or save them for the winter.

You will need the following stuff in the kitchen:

Canning jars with sealable lids (go to the hardware store and buy a case of the canning set—jars, lids, rings; you will use them all eventually, believe me)

A big pot—tall enough that you can put your jars of goodness in, the water covers them, and the water can boil without wreaking havoc

Something to put in the bottom of the pot to prevent the jars from sitting directly on the bottom (I use one of the steamers that folds in on itself, unfolded of course.)

Something to get the jars out of the boiling hot water with (I use tongs, sometimes a bit sketchy but no big disasters yet.)

(You can also go to the hardware store and buy a canning set up with pot, rack, funnel, etc. I have my own set up that works for me, but it does get pretty messy.)

You could use this recipe for any vegetable. Or switch to apple cider vinegar and sugar instead of salt for sweet pickles. The internet is very useful for unusual and creative pickling recipes, among other things.

I’d love to hear of other interesting recipes that people have. So please send them on!