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DIY Pickles

Fermented foods are all the rage. Make your own dill pickles and pickled vegetables.

Chef and dietitian Abbie Gellman has these simple recipes for you.

DILL PICKLES

INGREDIENTS
  • 3 1/2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 4 cups cucumber spears
  • 3 cloves garlic, whole
  • 2 heads fresh dill

DIRECTIONS
  1. Stir water, vinegar, sugar, and sea salt together in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil; remove from heat and cool completely.
  2. Combine cucumber spears, garlic cloves, and fresh dill in a large glass or plastic container. Pour cooled vinegar mixture over cucumber mixture. Seal container with lid and refrigerate for at least 3 days.
QUICK PICKLED ONIONS

INGREDIENTS
  • 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced

PREPARATION

1.     Whisk first 4 ingredients in a small bowl until sugar and salt dissolve.
2.     Place onion in a jar; pour vinegar mixture over. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
3.     Cover and chill. Can stay in refrigerator ~2 weeks.

QUICK PICKLED BEETS WITH CARAWAY

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 cups thinly sliced beets, cut in half-moons if desired
  • 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
  • ½ cup (135 grams) seasoned rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon (15 grams) sherry vinegar
  • ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar
  • 1 cup (230 grams) water
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons (10 grams) kosher salt

PREPARATION

1.     Place the beets and caraway seeds in a bowl or jar.
2.     In a large bowl, combine the rice wine vinegar, sherry vinegar and sugar. Bring the water to a boil, remove from the heat and add to the vinegar and sugar mixture. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the salt and stir well. Pour over the beets and caraway, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 days before eating and for up to 2 weeks, the longer the better.
3.     Shake the jar from time to time or, if you use a bowl, place a saucer on top of the beets to keep them submerged. Remove from the brine with a slotted spoon to serve.

Listen in as chef Abbie Gellman shares how you can make your own pickles to help your gut microbiome.

DIY Pickles
Featuring:
Abbie Gellman, MS, RD
Abbie GellmanAbbie Gellman, MS, RD, is a professionally-trained chef and Registered Dietitian. Abbie has over 10 years of hospitality and food and beverage consulting experience and nearly 10 years of nutrition-related experience.

She received a Master of Science degree in Nutrition from Teachers College, Columbia University and completed a dietetic internship at New York – Presbyterian Hospital in NYC. Abbie holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration and earned her Culinary Degree from Peter Kump's New York Cooking School (now known as ICE).

In addition to working with a wide variety of food service operators, Abbie also counsels and educates patients and groups in a private practice setting and cooks privately for individual clients.