Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Vegetables

It's almost the end of the MCG season, but I still want to enjoy my harvest all year long.

Pickling in a brine is a way of preserving your beautiful carrots, peppers or green beans for a rainy day in January (or snowy).

Here, I also have an instant salad in a jar.

I pickled my cherry tomatoes along with my beans and my red onions.

These pretty Weck jars would also would make lovely holiday gifts (I'm thinking ahead).

Here's how: (adapted from Food Network)

Blanch 1/3 pound each halved baby carrots, green beans and yellow beans, 2 to 3 minutes.

Cool in ice water, then put in a glass bowl with 1/2 sliced red onion. I also added in halved cherry tomatoes, red and yellow with the onions (do not blanch the tomatoes or onions).

Make the brine:
Boil 2 cups each white vinegar and water, 1/4 cup kosher salt, 2 bay leaves, 3/4 cup sugar, the zest and juice of 1 lemon, and 1 teaspoon each peppercorns and coriander seeds and whole cloves; pour over the vegetables, then let cool.

Chill at least 4 hours.
The veggies will be nice and crunchy and will stay in the fridge for about a month without any taste change.

You can also sterilize the jars to keep the pickled vegetables for the winter months without refrigeration.

When you are in a hurry, just open the jar and voila! Salad already made!