A centuries old tradition, pickling is a tried and true technique to store seasonal produce so you can enjoy it when the harvest days are over.

Though sometimes daunting, preserving and pickling might be a lot easier than you think. Whether you crave cherry peppers in winter or savoury onions in the fall, you can enjoy the best of the season, off-season.

Preserve your favourites with these delicious pickling recipes!

Best pickling recipes

Quick Winter Pickles
These colourful pickles lend a sharp accent as a garnish or as part of an antipasto plate or pickle tray. If desired, drizzle with a little fragrant extra-virgin olive oil.

Filipino Pickled Slaw
This pickle is traditionally made from unripe green papaya, which is available at Chinese and South Asian grocers, but it works well with cabbage, too.

Hot Pickled Okra
Okra pickles have a unique texture: crunchy yet tender. Choose unblemished, medium-size pods. Fiery Scotch bonnets are great peppers for these pickles; for the mildest version, use dried chilies.

Peppery Hamburger Pickle Slices
Sweet-and-sour, peppery and well-spiced, these are an ideal hamburger topping and a relish tray star.

South American Pickled Onions
Serve these pink-hued sweet-and-sour onions with Grilled Flank Steak with Pebre or Chorizo Patties.

Horseradish Pickled Beans
Bean pickles flavoured with horseradish make a lively side-dish pickle or a garnish for Caesars or bloody Marys. Use the cylindrical top part, not the gnarled root end, of the horseradish root (wrap leftover horseradish in wet towelling, cover in plastic wrap and store in your refrigerator’s crisper). For a little extra bite, add a halved red or green hot pepper to each jar.

Hot and Spicy Carrot Pickles
All over India, spicy pickled carrots are served as a tasty side dish preserved in oil. The carrot pickles here are inspired by the taste of Indian pickles but are a hybrid, using the techniques of North American pickling for safekeeping. If you need to top off jars for accurate headspace, use extra lemon juice.

Sweet-and-Sour Cauliflower Pickles
Judging from the many jars of preserved pickles from which the cauliflower has been picked out, a whole batch of cauliflower pickles should be a big hit!

Pickled Mackerel
Serve this delicious and healthy Old World dish at room temperature with boiled new potatoes, drizzled with fragrant olive oil and a sprinkle of fresh chives.

Pickled Cherry Peppers
Only seasonally available, cherry peppers are thick-fleshed and extraordinarily tasty, sweet yet slightly hot. Wonderful in stir-fries and sauces, they also make fabulous pickles; the Jewish-style ones I grew up with inspired this recipe. Italians and Greeks also stuff them with cheese and preserve them in olive oil. A little juggling of the jars ensures that pickling brine, not air, fills the hollow peppers.