Pickled Radishes

This spring we planted radishes that grew fantastically. Unfortunately, our sprinkler system wasn't working correctly, so they got very infrequent watering. As a result, they are too spicy to enjoy. In my quest to salvage them, I searched for a pickling recipe. This one worked perfectly. The radishes lost a lot of their heat after being "pickled". They would be great anywhere you would use bread and butter pickles.


1 bunch red radishes (about 13 radishes)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon yellow or brown mustard seed
1/4 teaspoon whole caraway seeds (coriander, fennel, or cumin seeds can be substituted)
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Combine red wine vinegar, sugar, water, salt, mustard seed, coriander seed, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved.

Remove from heat and let pickling brine cool for while you slice the radishes thinly. I put the radishes in a canning jar, but any non-reactive bowl will work. Pour brine over them. The brine didn't quite cover the radishes, so I just added a little more water. Let cool at room temperature for 20 minutes; cover and refrigerate.

The radishes were ready to eat after just an hour, but really tasted delicious the second day.