Looking for an unusual recipe for some of those onions you just grew in your garden? Try pickled red onions for something really zesty! This makes one pint jar of pickled onions.

• one large red onion
• 1 teaspoon peppercorns
• 1 large or 2 small cloves garlic
• one pint canning jar

Peel and slice onion as thinly as possible. If you have a mandolin slicer then that works great in this application. Personally, I love longer strings of this kind of pickled onion so I tend to cut the onion across the growth rings. But cut the onion into whatever shape you desire.

A canning jar works the best, but you can really use any glass jar with a tight fitting lid. This recipe doesn’t go through a hot canning process, and only lasts for about 2-4 weeks in the fridge.

Pack the sliced onions into your jar, then add the peppercorns and peeled garlic cloves to the top (although these really are optional, so feel free to omit). Set aside.

Prepare the Pickling Brine

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon sea salt

Heat all ingredients on low heat until well dissolved and just barely steaming. If you’d rather use apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar those work great, too. Any light colored vinegar works the best, as you want to see that beautiful pinkish color coming through from the red onions.

If you like your pickled onions a little on the sweeter side you could use 3 tablespoons of sugar instead of just 2. Other sweeteners you could try are honey or maple syrup.

Just make sure to use pickling salt or sea salt. Table salt with iodine will produce an “off” color, a bit muddy-ish.

Pour It On!

Pour your warm pickling brine over your prepped jar of onions. Leave a bit of headspace, about a half inch or so. Put the lid on tight enough that you can turn it over without it leaking, and turn it upside down 3 or 4 times. Store in the fridge.

If you’re anxious you can eat it within an hour or so, but the flavors really meld together nicely after about a week. Many other places on the web suggest eating this within 2 weeks of making it, but in reality the acidity of the vinegar should keep it just fine for a couple months. The problem is it probably won’t last that long!

Enjoy!

Places to Use Pickles Red Onions

These offer a great sweet-tangy-zesty compliment to so many dishes. Give them a try on:

• Sandwiches with a generous amount of meats.
• Juicy grilled hamburgers.
• Tacos, burritos.
• As salad toppings.
• On a cracker with cheese.