Chef Robin’s Pickle Recipe

We serve these on our rainforest wild edibles tour with our wild mushroom pate.  Guests keep requesting the recipe… so here you go.  I’ve used this with ramps (wild leeks), cauliflower, carrots, fennel and smoked sweet red peppers.   My favourite is the smoked red peppers or ramps.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup Sushi Vinegar (I use Kong Yen)
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 3/4 cup water
• 3 cloves garlic (omit if you are making pickled ramps)
• 1 red thai chilli (omit if you are making pickled ramps)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil (make sure the sugar is dissolved).

Prepare the vegetables by cutting them into small pieces and washing them.  With smoked peppers, blacken the skin over a cedar or alder wood fire and then peel it off (core as well).  Put all veg into sterilized mason jars and pour the hot liquid over them.   Seal the jars and boil again if you want the pickles to last a long time… I go through mine so fast that I don’t bother with this step.