How to Make Pickles - 6 Easy Steps to Making Pickled Onions

Learn how to make pickles following our step-by-step pickling instructions with pictures on how to make pickled onions.

Pickling consists of preserving fruits and vegetables in vinegar or brine. Each of these liquids acts as a preservative, so that the receptacles, or containers, for the food do not have to be sealed air-tight, nor does the preserved food require much care in order to have it keep perfectly.

The effect of the pickling liquids on both fruits and vegetables in your pickle recipes is very similar. The salt in the brine or the vinegar hardens the cellulose of the foods to such an extent that they are impervious to the action of bacteria. While this permits the foods to keep well, it also makes them difficult to digest, a fact that must be remembered when pickled foods are included in the diet.

How to Make Pickles with our Easy Pickling Instructions

How to pickle is easy and even the pickle recipes below are not difficult to make. In fact it is easier than following jam recipes or jelly recipes.

After the fruit or vegetable is cleaned and prepared in the way desired, it is merely a matter of placing the food in sterilized pickling jars or crocks, pouring the hot preserving liquid over it, allowing it to cool, and then storing it. In some cases the food is cooked, and in others it is not. As a rule, spices of some kind or other are added, both to aid in preserving and to impart flavor.

Practically all large fruits and many vegetables can be pickled, as is shown in the pickle recipes that follow. Foods preserved by pickling are known as either pickles or relishes.

Follow our step-by-step images and pickling instructions for pickled onions.

PICKLE RECIPES for PICKLED ONIONS

Pickled onions are well liked by many. For pickling purposes, medium small onions of uniform size are most suitable. Owing to their nature, onions cannot be pickled so quickly as some of the vegetables mentioned, but, otherwise, the work is done in practically the same way.

You will need the following for your pickled onion recipe:

4 qt. onions
2 qt. spiced vinegar

Pickling Onions in a Pot

A very helpful hint that we can pass on, that will save many a tear, is some advice on peeling your pickled onions. I think just thinking about it, puts people off even attempting to pickle onions. We have a solution.

How to Make Pickles - Step 1.

Boil some water and place your onions with the skins on, into the bowl. Wait until the water is warm to the touch and test to see if you can easily rub off the skins from the onions. If not, leave the onions in the water for about 20 minutes more.

Don't leave the onions in the hot water too long as you don't want them to go soft.

By that time you should have no trouble removing the skins.

peeling pickled onion with no tears

Pickling Onions with no Tears

How to Make Pickles Step 2.

Over the onions pour a brine made by adding 2 cupfuls of salt to each gallon of water. Allow them to stand in this brine for 3 days, changing the brine once during this time.

Pickled Onions in Brine

How to Make Pickles Step 3.

Remove the onions from the brine, and freshen in ice-cold water for 2 hours.

How to Make Pickles Step 4.

Now take a sterilized jar and lid and place your onions into the jar.

Pickled Onions in a Jar

How to Make Pickles Step 5.

On the stove heat up your malt vinegar with some bay leaves, a 1/4 teaspoon pepper corns, 1/4 teaspoon whole mustard seeds, and 1/4 teaspoon whole coriander seeds.

Do not boil. Remove from heat.

Pickling Spices

How to Make Pickles Step 6.

Pour spiced vinegar over the onions, and seal. Do not use before a month has passed.

Now you know how to make pickled onions!

Would you like some more pickle recipes?

RECOMMENDED BOOKS ON MAKING PICKLES

You can Share your Pickling Experiences

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