Last week brought pickled turnips so naturally this week brings pickled turnip stems. Waste not, want not, #amIright? For this pickle recipe I went back to my trusty Pick a Pickle booklet since I never would have thought of this myself. You could also try this recipe with the tops or stems of other veggies – kale ribs and beet tops come to mind initially.
This recipe was super easy and according to the recipe book would work great as a garnish atop a pulled pork sandwich or a soup. Might need to whip out the crockpot for the first time this season and make some pulled pork sandos! I waited a while between pickling the turnips last week (and saving the stems/greens) and pickling the stems but if you do it all in one go and want to be extra pilgrim-y, you could probably even salvage the greens for something else fun and exciting (sautéed, added to a soup, etc).
Pickled Turnip Stem Recipe
Makes 1 pint
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tbsp mustard seeds
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 cups turnip stems (from about l lb Hakueri turnips)
Instructions:
- Bring the water, vinegar, sugar, salt and mustard seeds to a boil until sugar and salt are fully dissolved. Set aside to cool.
- Cut turnip stems into 1/4-inch pieces. Because I waited about a week between stem detachment and pickling, a few were a little too wilted to use so pick through if not all stems are looking bright and perky.
- Add thyme and garlic cloves to jar.
- Fill jar with sliced turnip stems.
- Cover jar with the cooled brine and shake to distribute mustard seeds, thyme and garlic.
- Recommended use: these taste great on their own and I also plan to try them on top of cheese and crackers. Also, as mentioned above, said to be great as a soup topping or garnish to a pulled pork sandwich.
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