Pickles,Pickles Everywhere!

 
Pickle as described by dictionary.com :
As a noun-
1.a cucumber that has been preserved in brine,vinegar,or like.
2. often ,pickles ,any other vegetable ,as cauliflower,celery,etc .
3.preserved in brine or marinade.

   I like how the definition of a pickle slowly broadens after the mention of a cucumber as is what most folks think of when they think of pickle. Although #6 on dictionary.com's list also cracks me up and truth be told I've been in quite a few of these pickles as well:

6. a troublesome or awkward situation;predicament.  (ummmm...)

   So moving right along,pickles can be cucumbers or okra or beets and most recently I saw a beautiful recipe for swiss chard stems,which really after pickling the stiff chard stem turns into a crunchy pickle. Pretty and pickled,what a treat!

Here are some other awesome refrigerator pickle recipes from some great sources:

1.I'm a huge fan of  Deb Perleman over at smittenkitchen.com . Here's her recipe for dill pickles looks delicious Easiest Fridge Dill Pickles

2. You had me at Pickled Hot Peppers over at the The Creekside Cook.

3. Giardiniera is an Italian condiment per se. It's also called sottaceti or under vinegar. Who knew! Here's a link for an easy refrigetrator giardiniera recipe from Deep South Dish. ( She's a native Mississippian.) Recipe here Refrigerated Pickled Vegetables or Giardiniera .

     If you have beets left in your crisper drawer and are in a pickle   ( ha!,the door was wide open!) as to what to do with them,    PICKLE THEM!
 I found a lovely,easy pickled beets recipe insonnetskitchen.com . I did change one little,bitty part of the recipe. The recipe calls for the beets to be boiled,but I didn't have enough eyes on my almost three year old so I chose to roast the beets.( at least in the oven I can close the door and walk away as opposed to a hot pot on the stovetop).
The pros and cons of roasting instead of boiling the beets:
Pro- it brings out the sweetness of the beets.
Con- It makes them a tiny bit softer so the won't be as crispy when they pickle as if you boiled them.
   (In the end,we are bathing them in vinegar so To-MAY-toes To-MAH-toes is what I say. )

     Moving along, the recipe is pretty straightforward: roast the beets,cool the beets ( if you have time let them cool on the counter for a little while or with tongs or a slotted spoon put beets in a colander and run under cold water until cool enough to handle.), peel and slice beets and add to a jar with spices and vinegar.

Well if you are like me you might need specifics,here ya go:

Quick Pickled Beets
adapted from insonnetskitchen.com
One more thing before we get started,these beet pickles are

REFRIGERATOR PICKLES,NO CANNING/HOT WATER BATH PROCESSING/SEALING OF JARS NECESSARY. 
So no sweat,just a great jar of beet pickles to enjoy. They will live in the fridge until completely consumed.

Ingredients:
1 bunch of beets,roasted and sliced ( How To Roast Beets )
1/4 onion,sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves,thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
5 black peppercorns
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar ( I used apple cider vinegar,either is fine.)
Directions:
1. Placed all ingredients in a mason jar. Gently shake just to get everything mix together and place the jar in the fridge to pickle. The pickles will last up to a month in the fridge after that they will start to get mushy-er. Enjoy!