Fermented Giardiniera: Italian Pickled Vegetables
Giardiniera is a delicious way to preserve summer’s bounty. These Italian-style fermented vegetable pickles can be made hot or mild. Serve them as antipasti, with cheese and crackers or use it as a delicious sandwich filling.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 quart jars 1x
- Category: Pickles
- Method: Fermented
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 small cauliflower or half a cauliflower, diced into bite-sized sections (about 3 cups)
- 2 sweet peppers, thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced in half
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2–4 hot peppers, thinly diced (optional)
- 2 Tbsp salt (non-iodized)
- 3 cups water, enough to cover (chlorine-free)
Instructions
- Wash and prepare all the vegetables as instructed.
- Mix the vegetables and salt in a large bowl.
- Divide the vegetables between 2 quart-sized jars. Add in the herbs. Everything should be tightly packed in, and it’s easiest to do this by hand.
- Pour water into the jars, making sure all the vegetables are below the brine. Use a weight to keep the vegetables submerged.
- Leave the jar to ferment in a dark location (a kitchen cupboard is perfect) for 3-7 days. See the section above for advice on how to safely ferment giardiniera for up to 6 months.
Notes
- Feel free to use any combination of these vegetables. Or try adding in other firm vegetables like radishes or green beans. This is truly a garden mix, so use what is in your garden!
- Feel free to reduce the salt to 2 tsp per jar and use 1/4 cup of starter liquid per jar. I usually use cultured apple cider vinegar as my starter, but you could also use other fermented vegetable brine.
Find it online: https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/fermented-giardiniera/