In case you didn’t notice, pickling has become very cool recently. Gone are the days of overly acrid, overly-vinegary pickles, now it’s all about interesting brines using delicious vinegars. Not only is pickling très trendy but it’s also a very handy way to use fruit and veggies you have lying around the house. Have you ever ended up with more carrots, butternut or onions than you know what to do with? Pickle them! It’s a great way of preserving an ingredient that, otherwise, would have gone to waste. Once you have a brine recipe that you like, you can pretty much use it for anything you wish to pickle.

Now before you rush off and get down to business, there are specific ways you need to prepare the jars to protect your ingredients (and yourself!) from botulism and decay. To sterilise your jars you’ll need to wash your lids and jars very well in hot, soapy water – or pop them in the dishwasher. Then, set your oven to 120 ºC and place your jars on a clean baking sheet and into the oven to dry completely. If your lids are metal, you can place them in the oven too. If they have a rubber seal, however, you’ll need to boil them to sterilise them as the dry heat of the oven will melt them. Once your jars are cleaned and prepped, the only other piece of equipment that will make your life easier is a wide funnel.

Enough of the boring stuff, let’s get pickling!

You’re always best starting off with the basics, and this Bread and Butter Pickle recipe is just that. If you’re a pickle fan, you can save money by making your own.

Now that you’ve mastered pickled cucumbers, you can move onto Pickled Red Onions, another staple in most fridges. We’re pretty sure we don’t need to tell you how to either of these pickles, but they’re good on pretty much everything and are especially fantastic eaten straight out of the jar.

If you have a pile of green beans that you need to use up, these Curried Green Beans are a clever and tasty way to do that. Bloody Mary fans, use these beans as a garnish and you’ll never look back.

Everyone always has a lot of carrots lying around, so why not pickle them? This recipe for Crispy Pickles is quick and will give you crunchy carrot pickles that are just perfect for a salad or sandwich.

Next, it’s time to get a little fancy. Try your hand at the Pickled Radishes in this Salmon Tartar recipe, and add them to any salad that needs some jazzing up.

Think that fruit can’t handle some pickling action? Think again. In this recipe for Oysters with Pickled Watermelon, the rind of the watermelon is used, making for a thrifty way to use up all your leftover watermelon.

If seafood is your thing, then try your hand at either of these two recipes. We have a fabulous Chargrilled Calamari with Pickled Cucumber, Red Onion and Guacamole, ideal for a summer eve with a glass of Chardonnay.  Secondly, this Pickled Roasted Squid Heads with Beetroot and Carrot is a visual showstopper – bright, beautiful and full of amazing pickled flavour.

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