Pickling

Pickling is a way of preserving fruit and vegetables in an acidic liquid, usually vinegar or a salty brine. The acid stops the bacteria that make food spoil, so pickles keep for far longer than fresh produce. Along the way the flavour changes too, turning ordinary veg tangy, sharp and moreish. It's one of the oldest ways to preserve food there is.

Quick pickles, also called fridge pickles, are the easy win. You pour a hot vinegar brine over sliced veg, seal the jar and they're ready to eat within days. Think pickled red onions, crunchy cucumbers and pickled red cabbage.

Fermented pickles skip the vinegar. Vegetables sit in a salty brine while friendly bacteria slowly turn their natural sugars into lactic acid, which does the preserving. Sauerkraut, kimchi and many traditional dill pickles are made this way, and they take a bit more patience.

Then there are the pickle cousins: chutneys, relishes and the famously yellow piccalilli, where veg is cooked down or mixed with spices and vinegar into something spoonable.

A basic vinegar brine is just vinegar, water, salt and usually a little sugar, heated until everything dissolves. The fun starts with the spices. Mustard seeds, peppercorns, dill, bay leaves, garlic and chilli are all classics. Pack your prepared veg tightly into a clean jar, pour the brine over until everything is covered and seal it. Keeping the veg under the liquid is the golden rule, because anything poking out can spoil.

Your Activity Leader starts with a quick trip through pickling history, plus tips and tricks for getting great results at home. There's a tasting of different pickles, so you can work out how much tang you like, and a chat about other ways to use them. Then it's your turn to chop, pack and pour, with all the fruit and veg provided. You take your jar home and let time work its magic.

Plenty. Leftover pickle brine makes a brilliant marinade, tenderising meat and adding a sharp kick to tofu or vegetables. Stir chopped pickles or a splash of brine into dips and dressings for extra zing. And yes, pickles have a place behind the bar too. Olive brine is what makes a dirty martini dirty, and a splash of pickle juice can liven up a savoury cocktail or mocktail. Your cheese board will never be the same again.

You might also like Mushroom Growing, Cider Making and Bread Baking.

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