Foolproof Pink Cabbage Pickles
If you have never pickled anything, start here: cabbage and carrots in a measured brine — 4 cups water, 4 tablespoons coarse salt, a teaspoon each of sugar and citric acid, half a cup of vinegar — with a slice of beet that turns the whole jar rose-pink in days.
How to Prepare
Slice the cabbage, cut the carrots into sticks and slice the beetroot.
Pack the vegetables tightly into a clean, dry jar, tucking the beet slices between the layers.
Dissolve the coarse salt, sugar and citric acid in the water, then stir in the vinegar.
Pour the brine over the vegetables until completely submerged.
Seal the jar and leave at room temperature for 3–5 days, then refrigerate — the colour deepens to a beautiful pink as it sits.
Always coarse pickling salt, never table salt — iodised salt clouds the brine and softens the crunch.