Of course you can make your own pickles — here’s how

Pickling seems like something Grandma used to do, but trust us when we say that there’s a reason home pickling is trending again. Besides the predictably delicious cucumbers used to make pickles, the world is pretty much your oyster. You can put almost any veggie-type thing into a jar to pickle and munch on later.

You can also use pickling to preserve all those extra vegetables you impulse-bought at the farmers market. And with a quick pickling recipe, there’s no need to wait weeks for your pickle. You’ll get to try some with tonight’s dinner.

More: 5 leftover pickle juice recipes that will truly wow your guests

Basic quick pickling liquid recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients (including any flavor additions below), and bring to a boil until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Remove from the heat, and let cool slightly so the liquid does not cook the vegetables. Pour the pickling liquid into glass jars over the vegetables, seal, and reserve.
3. If using in under an hour, jars can sit out at room temperature. Otherwise, refrigerate for up to a week. The pickled flavor will get stronger the longer the vegetables sit.

If you’re in a real hurry, you can crank out those pickles even faster. David Chang’s famous quick pickling recipe promises crispy salt-and-sugar pickles in under 10 minutes — without any vinegar at all.

More: 11 bizarre foods from around the world you should give a try

Bread-and-butter pickles

When you have more time beyond quick pickling, you can also try your hand at an old favorite — sweet and savory homemade bread-and-butter pickles. (Recipe by Diana De Cicco/SheKnows)

Yields 12 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds cucumbers, sliced in rounds
• 1 pound white onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup pickling or kosher salt
• 1-1/4 cups white vinegar
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2-1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3/4 teaspoon celery seeds
• 1-inch cinnamon stick
• 6 allspice berries plus a pinch ground allspice
• 6 whole cloves plus a pinch ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the cucumbers with the onions. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Rinse with cold water, and drain.
2. In a pot, combine the vinegars with the sugar, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, celery seeds, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and turmeric, and bring to a boil. When the sugar has dissolved, add the cucumber mixture, and bring to a boil again.
3. Spoon the cucumbers into sterilized jars, and then pour the liquid over the cucumbers, filling the jars just to the tops of the cucumbers. Seal the jars well, and refrigerate for at least 3 weeks.

Next up: Safe pickling