I have a deep love for all things pickled. Well, not all things. Sweet pickles and especially bread & butter pickles can take a hike. Anyway, back to my love of pickles. At any given time, I have easily 6 or 7 variations of pickled items in my fridge. Banana peppers, olives, pickled okra (yes, it’s a thing, and it’s delicious), dill slices, all of it.

I love having a variety. Pickles, and pickled items in general, add such a great tangy, vinegar bite to anything. They’re so versatile. You can throw them on top of so many different things to punch up the flavor. Below I’m sharing a few of my favorite pickled recipes. Enjoy!

Pickled Red Onions

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup salt
• 2 Tbs pickling spice (I pick out some of the clove so that flavor doesn’t overpower the rest)
• 1 red onion, sliced

1. Combine vinegar, salt, sugar, pickling spice, and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Simmer on Med/High heat.
2. Add in onion, bring to a simmer, and turn off the heat. Allow to cool.

Pickled Avocados

• 1 cup cider (or white) vinegar
• 2 Tbs salt
• 2 Tbs Mustard Seed
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1-2 firm avocados

1. Combine all ingredients (besides the avocados) in a saucepan. Simmer until sugar and salt are dissolved. Allow mixture to cool.
2. While mixture is heating, peel and slice avocados and place into a jar.
3. Once mixture has cooled, pour over avocados and secure lid. Chill for several hours.

Quick Dill Pickles

• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp Mustard Seed
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 Tbs fresh chopped dill (or 1 tsp dry)
• 1 seedless cucumber, sliced

1. Heat vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, salt, and garlic in a saucepan on medium heat.
2. In a shallow bowl, toss the sliced cucumbers and dill together.
3. Pour hot mixture over cucumbers and toss to coat. Chill 30 minutes.

Re-Using your Pickle Juice

So once you’ve finished your favorite jar of pickles, what do you do? Dump the remaining juice down the sink and trash (or recycle) the jar, right? Wrong! Here’s a little tip I learned that will extend your pickle love. Re-use the juice! Crazy, right? But it totally works. You already love the flavors of that pickled mix, so why not use it again?

All you need to do is pour the juice into a saucepan to warm it up for a few minutes. This will wake up all of the vinegar and spices. While that’s heating, trim or slice any veggie you’d like and place it in the jar. Once the mixture is warm, pour it back in the jar over the new veggies. Voila!

This time around, I used the leftover juice from my pickled okra. If you don’t know about this and love pickles, it’s a must! I’ve been eating this my whole life and most major chains carry it (Publix, Target). They are my 3 year olds favorite. She won’t eat peanut butter & jelly, but she’ll eat pickled okra – go figure.

If you try any of these recipes, let me know what you think. And if you come up with a new combo I should try – send it over!

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