Pickled & Fermented Feast (Printable Version)

Colorful platter featuring tangy pickled and fermented vegetables arranged for a stunning side dish.

# Components:

→ Fresh Vegetables

01 - 1 cup carrots, julienned
02 - 1 cup cucumber, sliced
03 - 1 cup radishes, thinly sliced
04 - 1 cup red cabbage, shredded
05 - 1 cup cauliflower florets
06 - 1 cup green beans, trimmed

→ Quick Pickling Brine

07 - 2 cups white vinegar
08 - 2 cups water
09 - 2 tablespoons sugar
10 - 2 tablespoons kosher salt

→ Spices & Aromatics

11 - 2 garlic cloves, sliced
12 - 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
13 - 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
14 - 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
15 - 2 bay leaves
16 - 3 sprigs fresh dill
17 - 1 small red chili, sliced (optional)

→ Fermented Vegetables (Optional)

18 - 1 cup kimchi
19 - 1 cup sauerkraut

# Method Steps:

01 - Wash all vegetables thoroughly and cut according to specified sizes and shapes.
02 - Combine white vinegar, water, sugar, and kosher salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil while stirring until sugar and salt dissolve. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
03 - Firmly pack the prepared vegetables into clean glass jars or small bowls, grouping colors and shapes for an attractive arrangement.
04 - Distribute sliced garlic, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, bay leaves, fresh dill, and red chili evenly among the jars.
05 - Pour the warm pickling brine over the vegetables, ensuring full submersion.
06 - Seal the jars and let them cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for a minimum of 12 hours for quick pickles, or up to 48 hours to develop deeper flavor.
07 - For fermentation, prepare vegetables in a 2% salt brine (20 g salt per 1 liter water) and ferment at room temperature for 5 to 7 days, checking daily for desired taste.
08 - Arrange pickled and fermented vegetables in small jars or bowls on a serving board, organizing them in linear or grid patterns for visual impact.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • A rainbow of crunchy, tangy vegetables that actually get better the longer they sit in your fridge—patience becomes your secret weapon
  • Impressive enough to serve at dinner parties but simple enough that you'll make it on a random Tuesday just because you can
  • Naturally vegan and gluten-free without feeling like you're missing anything; these vegetables taste so vibrant and alive
02 -
  • Submerged vegetables stay safe; anything breaking the surface of the brine risks growing unwanted things—learned this the hard way when I thought a floating piece of cauliflower would be fine and it wasn't
  • The brine will taste aggressively vinegary at first, which made me panic the first time, but it mellows over 24 hours into something beautifully balanced and crave-able
  • Salt matters—use actual kosher salt, not table salt, because table salt has additives that can cloud your brine and affect fermentation, which I discovered by making that exact mistake
03 -
  • Taste your brine before pouring—it should be balanced between salty, sour, and slightly sweet, almost like a vinaigrette you'd dress a salad with
  • Keep your jars in a cool, dark place if you can; light will fade those beautiful colors faster than you'd expect
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