Spicy Pickled Vegetables

I took a week of vacation and here I am fussing over a hot stove to make ... pickles? Think of it as Mt. Everest. Must be conquered. And even though it is probably more expensive than buying them at even Whole Foods, at least I can say "I made it myself" without added chemicals or packaging. Too bad my garden doesn't yield enough produce to can ... yet. So I adapted this recipe from that bargain books bin dive Preserving (love all the photos!). It was originally for "Pickled Baby Vegetables." Instead, I just chose some nice fresh veggies that were on sale and would make an interesting color palette. They not ready to eat until 4-6 weeks from now, so I can't tell you how they tasted, but here's my variation:

3 bell peppers (1 red, 1 orange, 1 yellow), sliced
1 red onion, sliced
12 or so radishes, trimmed
1 head cauliflower, cut into small pieces
1 pound or so green beans, trimmed and cut to size

1/2 cup salt

7 cups apple cider vinegar

1 cup rice wine vinegar

8 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 medium (thumb-size) piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and crushed

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds

1 teaspoon salt

The night before: Rinse and chop the vegetables; place in large non-corrosive bowl and sprinkle with salt. Mix well and cover the bowl with a clean cloth. Let stand overnight, up to 48 hours, stirring vegetables from time to time.

When you're ready to pickle: Drain off the liquid from the bowl of veggies. Rinse under cold running water and drain well. Cover with more cold water and let stand for 1 hour.

Place the remaning ingredients in a non-corrosive saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Drain veggies and distribute among sterilized canning jars. Fill with vinegar mixture, making sure vegetables are covered. Then seal and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. The pickle will be ready to eat in 4-6 weeks.

Place the vinegar, garlic, ginger, peppercorns, mustard seeds and salt in a non-corrosive pot and bring to boil. Boil 10 minutes. Set aside.