Asian-Inspired Quick Pickles

Our favorite new food blog comes from Marisa McClellan (who also cooked up the entertaining Fork You!). Her Food in Jars blog dotes equally on the jars she's lovingly collected and the straight-forward and delicious food she creates from fresh ingredients.

5-6 kirby (pickling) cucumbers, each cut into six spears
1 chili pepper
1 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar (look for a brand that uses sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup)
2 limes, juiced
3-4 scallions, chopped (greens and whites)
2 garlic cloves, sliced
4 sprigs of mint, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pack the cucumber spears into a quart jar. Slide the chili pepper down in among the cucumber spears. In a 2-cup measuring cup, combine the rice wine vinegar, lime juice, scallions, garlic cloves, mint and salt. Pour over the cucumbers. Using your fingers, poke some of the garlic slivers, mint and scallion down amidst the cucumbers. Screw a lid on the jar, and holding it over the sink (in case of leaks) invert the jar and give it a good shake, in order to distribute all the delicious bits.

Let your pickles sit in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before eating.

Learn more: How to contribute your favorite farmers' market recipe