I thought I’d hit the pickle jackpot when I made these tarragon-infused pickles. Building off my sister’s divine dill pickle recipe–with inspiration from Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi’s book Tuscany–I used a batch of tarragon vinegar to make a pickle among pickles. Like the original, they’re crunchy, a little sweet, and a little salty. And they have the added bonus of herbs and spices: coriander seed, peppercorn, and, of course, tarragon vinegar.
Making tarragon vinegar
What a secret! I kept looking for this “specialty item” in grocery stores and when I couldn’t find it, I turned to the Internet for some good old DIY. Folks, it was beyond simple. The only hard part was waiting for it to cure before using some!
- First, fill a mason jar about halfway with tarragon, pictured above.
- Then, fill your mason jar with vinegar. I used sherry vinegar, but any light colored vinegar will do.
- Finally, place a lid on your jar and keep it in the back of a cabinet (any old dark place) for about a month.
- Remove the tarragon and your vinegar is ready to use.
- Use tarragon vinegar to jazz up potato salads, pickles, salad dressings, and more.
Making pickles
Here’s a rundown of the flavor profile:
- tarragon-infused sherry vinegar
- coriander seed
- black peppercorns
- bay leaves
- red pepper flakes
- garlic
- dill
Of course, you’re definitely going to want to try your own creations, but these pickles are here to stay in my recipe book, er, blog!
Tarragon-infused Pickles
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 jars 1x
- Category: pickles
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A flavor bomb of a pickle.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Persian cucumbers, cut into ¼-inch rounds (or sliced peppers, carrots, green beans, cabbage, or radishes)
- 10 peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon coriander seed
- 2 pinches red pepper flakes
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons minced dill leaves
- ¾ cup tarragon vinegar (see above)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 cup cold water
Instructions
- Divide the cucumbers or vegetables between two 16-ounce mason jars.
- Divide the herbs and spices evenly between the two jars.
- Heat the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium just until the sugar and salt dissolve. Remove from heat.
- Add the cold water to the vinegar and stir.
- Divide the liquid between the two jars. Add a little extra vinegar or water if it doesn’t cover the cucumbers.
- Put lids on the jars and store them in the refrigerator. You can eat them as soon as the next day or for up to two months!
Notes
Recipe adapted from Tuscany and from Refrigerator Dill Pickles Four Ways.
Did you know that pickle juice can be used more than once? It’s true! Once you’ve eaten all the vegetables, put another bunch of veggies in the same liquid for a pickle bumper crop.
Keywords: pickles, spices, tarragon, tarragon vinegar, refrigerator pickles, dill pickles, vegan, vegetarian, vegetables
