Pickled Carrot and Daikon Radish

I bought the smallest daikon they had for the shabu-shabu.  I still had most of it left.  I almost started a batch of kimchi with it, but that would have involved an inconvenient trip to the grocery store.  Plus, I'm still kind of weirded out by home-fermentation of vegetables.  Instead, I went flipping through canning books, remembering the kohlrabi relish.

Food in Jars had this recipe.  The phrasing is slightly different in the cookbook than on the blog, but the result is the same.  Super easy, and I had everything for it on hand.  Plus, it was something I could process for a later date when I figured out what to do with it.  Marisa's suggestion is as a sandwich condiment.  I like to put things like this in a green salad.  Don't really like pickles in sandwiches.  They can be on the side at a picnic or with a cheese plate.  Or chopped fine and added to tuna salad.  Just think of whatever you like to use cucumber pickles for, then substitute these.

I made a smaller batch than her full recipe, and scaled ingredients accordingly.  I do recommend wide-mouth jars if you process.  Even a narrow daikon might not fit through a regular mouth lid.  I cut mine in quarters lengthwise, to match the diameter of the carrots.

1 lb carrots (fat is better)
1 lb young daikon radish (thin, to match the carrots)
1-1/2 C distilled white vinegar
3/4 C granulated sugar
3 Tb pickling or kosher salt
1-1/2 tsp ground ginger
*3 Tb coriander seeds
*2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 whole star anise

1.  Prepare a boiling bath canner and jars for a 3 pint yield.  Start simmering lids.

2.  Peel carrots and daikon.  Using a mandoline or food processor with the slicing blade, slice carrots and daikon into paper-thin slices.  Set aside.

3.  Combine vinegar, 1-1/2 C water, sugar, salt, and ginger in a pot and bring to a boil to create the brine.  In a separate bowl, combine remaining spices.  If using something smaller than three pint jars (um, me), break apart star anise into the appropriate number of pieces.  Divide whole spices between the sterilized jars.

4.  Add sliced vegetables to brine and remove from heat.  Using tongs, add vegetables to jars.  Slowly pour the hot brine over the vegetables, leaving 1/2" headspace.  Tap jars and poke with a clean chopstick to remove air bubbles.  Add more brine as necessary.  I saved the remaining brine to mix with oil and use as a sweet ginger salad dressing.

5.  Wipe the rims clean with a paper towel, apply lids and rings, and process in a boiling bath canner for 5 minutes.  Remove and check the seals once cooled.  Refrigerate any unsealed jars and use within one month.  These do not require a curing time, and can be enjoyed immediately.  They also benefit from sitting in the jar at least a week, to intensify the flavor.

Yield 3 pints

Difficulty rating  :)