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DCL

If you're just getting into preserving your own food, pickling is a good place to start. You don't need a pricey pressure canner, and most pickling recipes are pretty straightforward. If you think pickling is only good for cucumbers and Peter Piper and his peppers, take a look at this list. Have a glut of zucchini from your garden or CSA? Why not combine it with some fresh seasonal herbs and pickle it? Too many turnips? You guessed it: time to make pickles!

You do need some basic equipment for pickling. A large canning pot (or tall stock pot with a towel set on the bottom, in a pinch) and sterilized jars, lids, and rings are absolute necessities for some of these recipes. A canning funnel and jar lifter are also very useful, and can be found online and in some department stores.

The main thing to remember with pickling is to follow the recipe EXACTLY. The proportion of vinegar to vegetables is important, as is the amount of salt. These not only ensure that your pickles will be safe to eat, but that they taste good, too.

Photo credit: ccarlstead via Flickr/Creative Commons

20 Delicious Pickle Recipes

Quick Refrigerator Pickles

1. Pickled Red Radishes

2. Emeril's Quick Cucumber Pickles

3. Spicy Dill Pickles

4. Emeril's Spicy Pickled Turnips and Beets 5. Emeril's Pickled Carrots and Daikon Radishes 6. Pickled Carrots 7. Jerusalem Artichoke Pickles 8. Pickled Wild Leeks 9. Emeril's Sun-Pickled Kale Stems and Garlic Scapes 10. Pickled Swiss Chard Stems Pickles for Longer Storage The pickles in this section are processed in a hot water bath canner in sterilized jars. This means that though making them is a bit more complicated, they are also safe to store for up to a year. 11. Green Bean Pickles 12. Pickled Watermelon Rind 13. Pickled Cauliflower 14. Emeril's Pickled Beets 15. Emeril's Pickled Zucchini with Herbs 16. Pickled Peppers 17. Pickled Garlic Scapes 18. Asparagus Pickles 19. Pickled Cantaloupe 20. Green Tomato Pickles As you can see, there's plenty of variety within the world of pickles. A pickled cucumber or green tomato is an excellent accompaniment to a burger or sandwich, while pickled carrots or turnips would be delicious ways to rev up a ho-hum salad. In the end, pickling is worthwhile because there's nothing quite as satisfying as opening up a jar of food that you preserved yourself from summer's bounty. Here's hoping there are plenty of pickles in your future!