Thank you for purchasing my latest cookbook, The Modern Pioneer Pantry. I hope this book and the videos on my Mary’s Nest YouTube channel will help you create a well-stocked pantry full of a wide variety of nutritious and delicious preserved food.
In this chapter’s QR code page, I’ll provide you with additional information and links to help you learn more about pickling. And once you feel confident with pickling, you’ll be ready to try fermenting!
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Table of Contents
- Pickling Versus Fermentation
- Quick Pickles to the Rescue
- How to Make Pickled Beets
- More Pickling Recipes
- Next Step: Try Fermentation
- Filling Your Four Corners Pantry with Traditional Foods
- The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
- FREE CHECKLISTS You Need Now!
- Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
- Kitchen Academy Videos
Pickling Versus Fermentation
I like to ferment vegetables because they are both tasty and rich in probiotics (good bacteria) that support our health. Unfortunately, fermenting vegetables takes time, often anywhere from 7-14 days. And once you transfer your fermented veggies to your refrigerator, you typically need to wait another week or so for the flavors to mellow. So all told, it can take about three weeks until you can enjoy your fermented food.
Quick Pickles to the Rescue
But what if you want to enjoy the delightful tang that’s common to ferments in a much shorter period of time? That’s where quick pickles come in! These pickles are easy to make and will be ready to enjoy within a few hours. Quick pickles make a wonderful accompaniment to any meal, especially one that’s rich in protein to aid in digestion.
A quick pickle refers to an easy way to pickle any vegetable, not just cucumbers. With the quick pickle process, you don’t have to cook everything in your brine first. Instead, you simply pack a jar with your veggies and then pour your hot brine over them.
Once you allow your jars to cool to room temperature, refrigerate them. Your quick-pickled vegetables will be ready to enjoy once chilled after about 4 hours. However, they will be even better if you wait to enjoy them the next day.
As I show you in the following recipe videos, quick pickling is one of the best ways to create a delightfully refreshing treat made from nothing more than vegetable scraps.
- How to Quick Pickle Vegetable Scraps for a No Waste Kitchen recipe
- How to Make Quick Pickles – The Easy Way to Pickle Any Vegetable recipe
- NO Sugar Quick Pickles Master Recipe for Pickling any Vegetable recipe
But What About the Probiotics?
Since they are not rich in probiotics, Quick Pickles don’t offer the same health benefits as ferments, but guess what? You can improve the pickle’s nutritional profile by adding a few tablespoons of a simple ingredient that most folks have in their pantry: an apple cider vinegar or fruit scrap vinegar.
How to Make Pickled Beets
Pickled beets are one of those foods that seem to have been around for forever. I grew up eating them and loved them. Now, I know there are those of you out there who may say, “Beets! No Thank You!” But trust me. These are delicious. Even my husband Ted, who was never a fan of beets growing up, was surprised at how delicious these pickled beets are!
The Secret Is in the Brine for Pickling Beets
So what makes these beets so tasty…and not that dreaded “earthy” flavor that some complain about? Well, the secret is in the brine. This old fashioned brine recipe was made by moms who wanted to get their families to eat—and enjoy—beets because of their nutritional value.
The brine for pickling beets includes:
- Sugar
- Salt
- Lots of warming spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves
For our traditional foods kitchen, this is a very healthy brine because I modified the original recipe, omitted the white sugar, and replaced it with Sucanat. (As I described in an earlier video and recipe, Sucanat is dried sugar cane juice with all the vitamins and minerals intact.)
Don’t worry if you are at the beginning of your journey from transitioning from a processed foods kitchen to a traditional foods kitchen. You can still use white sugar in this recipe. The most important outcome is that you will be eating beets! 😉
More Pickling Recipes
How to Quick Pickle Vegetable Scraps for a No Waste Kitchen
Clean out your crisper and make this treat with options for various tasty brines.
How to Make Crisp Pickled Green Beans with Optional Water Bath Canning Tutorial
Enjoy these delicious pickled vegetables now, or can them for a longer shelf-life.
NO SUGAR Quick Pickles Master Recipe for Pickling any Vegetable
Make these delicious pickled vegetables that are ready in one hour!
Next Step: Try Fermentation
Once you feel comfortable with these pickling recipes, learn a new kitchen skill and try your hand at fermentation. In the videos below, I walk you through all you need to know to make Sauerkraut, Fermented Salsa, and Giardiniera (Italian vegetable medley), plus I share the secret to Crisp Fermented Pickles!
Filling Your Four Corners Pantry with Traditional Foods
If you’re looking for a printed book full of my traditional foods recipes that shows you how to create a traditional foods kitchen, be sure to order your copy of my bestselling book, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook.
Order YOUR COPY Now!
The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
Seasonal ingredients, traditional techniques, and nourishing recipes. Over 85 traditional, from-scratch recipes! Discover for yourself how you can use simple ingredients and traditional techniques to cook the modern pioneer way.
And if you are teaching children in grades K through 12 how to make traditional foods, be sure to download my FREE Modern Pioneer Cookbook Curriculum to use in conjunction with my cookbook.
FREE CHECKLISTS You Need Now!
As you learn how to Prep Like a Pro when stocking your Four Corners Pantry, be sure to download all the checklists that I have prepared for you. You can keep them on your computer or phone, but I highly recommend printing them out and putting them in your Kitchen Journal so that you always have a hard copy!
How to Make Meal Prep Fast with the Meal-in-a-Bag System
Make meal prep fast and easy with these seven free recipes you can download and print out to create your own Meals in Bags.
The FREE Modern Pioneer Cookbook Curriculum – Teach Traditional Cooking Skills to Grades K-12
This cookbook curriculum gives students a love of traditional foods and kitchen skills that will last them a lifetime.
27 Best Survival Foods to Stock NOW in Your Prepper Pantry
Download the free Survival Pantry Checklist and make sure your Prepper Pantry is well-stocked for the long term.
Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
For an extensive list of the traditional foods you can make and purchase to stock your pantry, be sure to download my free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. This comprehensive eBook is full of links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more!
Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
Are you looking for more traditional foods videos? If so, I invite you to join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy. Members of this optional paid YouTube community get access to exclusive videos and other members-only perks. Plus, your YouTube comments include a special members-only badge.
Kitchen Academy Videos
Why We Should Incorporate Mackerel Into Our Diet
Easy and nourishing ways to enjoy mackerel into your meals.
The Gentle Power of Fermented Beverages—All Year Long
Learn how fermented beverages gently support digestion year-round, shifting with the seasons to nourish the gut through traditional, living drinks.
How to Make Oatmeal Higher in Protein (The Old-Fashioned Way)
Turn simple oats into a hearty, protein-rich porridge.
Stay in Touch with Mary’s Nest
- Subscribe to My YouTube Channel for Traditional Foods Videos (Free) - When you subscribe, be sure to click on the notification bell that will let you know each time I upload a new video.
- Subscribe to Mary’s Traditional Foods Newsletter (Free) - Get a free 36-page eBook for signing up: How to Stock Your Essential Traditional Foods Four-Corners Pantry.
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy - For more detailed videos and exclusive members-only perks, join my YouTube membership community.
- Order The Modern Pioneer Cookbook - Get a hardcover book of Mary's nourishing recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen. This bestselling cookbook is published by Penguin Random House with their DK imprint.
- Order The Modern Pioneer Pantry - Get Mary's latest hardcover cookbook about preserving food and making delicious meals from your Four Corners Pantry. Mary's second cookbook is also published by Penguin Random House.
I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!
Disclaimer:I am not a medical doctor, a medical professional, a dietician, or a nutritionist. All content found on the MarysNest.com website, including text, images, videos, eBooks or eGuides, social media, or other formats, were created solely for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or proper nutritional advice. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have watched in a video or read on this website. Use caution when following the recipe in this video. The creator and publisher of this video and website will not be held responsible for any adverse effects that may arise from the use of this recipe and method or any other recipe and method on this website or corresponding video channel.