I have always had the dream of canning things—pickling fruits and veggies, making jams, and jellies. Year after year, I say I’ll do it, but I never seem to get around to it—until this year! The abundance of delicious fruits and veggies at my local farmers’ market finally pushed me over the edge and inspired me to get creative.

I decided to start with pickling because, honestly, it just seemed like the easiest place to begin. I wanted to pickle two things, one sweet and one savory, so I went with pickled red onions and peaches. (If you’ve read any of my other posts, you know I have an ongoing love affair with peaches:Skinny Peach Pie Popsicles,Peaches & Cream Chia Seed Pudding,Peach Bubbler Mocktail.)

There are lots of different ways to pickle—some involve fermenting, and curing, which can take a long time. The method I use is quick—the pickled ingredients are ready in a few hours, and last up to a week in the fridge! Here’s the step-by-step.

1.选择新鲜农产品始终使用成熟但仍然坚硬且酥脆的水果和蔬菜。醋没有将糊状的黄瓜变成松脆的美味佳肴的神奇能力！

2. Sterilize the jars第一个认为你mustknow about canning is that all jars need to be sterilized, so anything you plan to put food inmustbe boiled. They do sell special canning tongs to remove the jars from the boiling water, but you can use regular ones, too. I found rubber coated tongs work especially well to grip a wet mason jar. (Tip: Be sure to submerge the lower half of your tongs in the boiling water for few minutes. Because it doesn’t do you much good to grab a sterile jar with dirty tongs!)

3. Dry your equipment一旦允许罐子坐在沸水中，将它们取出，然后将它们排在干净的表面上。使用这种快速方法，添加成分时，罐子不需要沸腾。（不要与制作果酱的过程相混淆，在这种过程中，您必须将热果酱放入热罐中，将其密封，然后煮沸。）

4. Add your fillings腌制的好处是，您可以根据需要使过程变得简单或所涉及。我喜欢腌制的红洋葱给三明治的美味叮咬和甜味，所以我希望我的简单。为了让红洋葱发光，我将洋葱切成薄片，将其炒，然后用切片装满冷却的梅森罐子。然后，我添加了50％的红酒醋，50％的白醋和一茶匙腌制盐（纯盐）来填充空白空间。

I decided to do something more unusual with the peaches, so I blanched them, and then filled the jar with peach quarters. I added a pinch of cloves, and two cinnamon sticks, and then filled the jar with 75% white vinegar and 25% rice wine vinegar. What am I going to do with pickled peaches? (It doesn’t sound like something you’d want to take a bite out of, does it?) Peaches, and other pickled fruits, are perfect for making unusual homemade relishes!

I’ve been putting pickled red onions on my sandwiches, wraps, and salads this past week, and I have a special dinner planned for the peach relish—yum!

Think you’ll try your hand at pickling? What are you planning to put in a jar? Share in the comments below!