Jalapeño and Fennel Infused Pickles

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After a huge success with my Raw Sweet Bread and Butter Overnight Pickles… I decided to try my hand at a spicy pickle.   I pretty much kept to the same recipe but added in a sliced jalapeño along with the feathery green leaves that belong to fennel. Adding sliced fennel from the bulb would be wonderful too but I didn’t have any.  I just so happened to have the stalks leftover from another recipe so I decided to pop them in there. Dill would also work.

When I added the sliced jalapeño, I left the seeds intact.  But if you are sensitive to hot things, feel free to omit them or just add a few in.  You will notice in the list of ingredients that I added agave.  This was a wonderful compliment to the spiciness.

The heat of a jalapeno can add a wonderful kick to food but a lasting burn to your skin. The experience can range from uncomfortable to extremely painful. Always take care when handling jalapeños and never touch your eyes after you have handled them.  Even though we only use 1 little jalapeño for this recipe, I am going to really encourage you to wear some gloves when handling them.

I learned a painful lesson several years back when I processed a bowl of tiny, itty, bitty, adorable jalapeños. Seriously… they WERE that cute! During the process, I didn’t feel a thing, but about 2 hours later when I slid into my bubble bath… ready to relax and soak away my woes of the day… I lay back in the tub, closed my eyes, and started to listen to the bubbles sing to me (they sing Pop music haha get it?  sorry, I have a silly sense of humor)…  back to my bath – as the water inched up my body totally submerging it… it was then when the holy-jalapeno-the-gods-must-be-crazy-heat started to burn my skin.   I jumped out of the tub in my bubble suit of armor, running all over, waving my hands… burning sensations infected my body and my skin burned like there was no tomorrow.

It took me a while to figure out why I was feeling this way…jalapeno oil (Capsaicin)!  The water touching it on my skin activated it. My jalapeño-oil-ladened hands had ended up touching many parts of my body without me even realizing it, well until I went to take my bath.    I laid in bed as still as could be… burning and aching.  It hurt so bad that I couldn’t even get up to consult Mr. Google as to what to do.   So please, please, just slide on a pair of gloves.  In this particular case, it only takes one little innocent-looking pepper to make your evening miserable.

Ingredients:

Yields 1 quart

• 4 cups (480 g) (3mm sliced) English cucumbers
• 1/2 (120 g) white onion, thin sliced
• 1 (15 g) jalapeno, thin sliced
• 1 cup (225 g) raw apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 (120 g) cup water
• 1/2 cup (150 g) raw agave nectar
• 2 Tbsp (26 g) brown rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp (14 g) mustard seeds
• Fresh fennel sprigs or dill sprigs

Preparation:

1. Wash and dry the cucumbers.  With a mandolin, slice into 3 mm thin slices.
   • If using organic cucumbers, leave the skin on.
   • If non-organic, it is best to peel the skin off with a potato peeler to cut down on the ingestion of pesticides.
   • Place in a medium bowl.
   • Tip: I used English cucumbers because they have fewer seeds in them, which provides a nice crisp pickle!
2. With the same thin cut on the mandolin, slice 1/2 an onion.  Add the cucumber and jalapeno slices and toss them together.
   • When working with jalapenos, be sure to wear gloves. Do not touch any other part of your body with your hands until your hands are clean.
3. Pack the jar with the pickle mixture.
4. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, water, agave, brown rice vinegar, and mustard seeds.  Whisk together.
5. Pour the brine over the cucumbers and onions, place the lid on the jar and give it a gentle shake.
6. Slide the fennel sprigs in the jar along the edges.  Cover and place in the fridge.
7. Keep in the fridge for up to several weeks, but they will be ready to eat within 24 hours.

Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, sugar free, Vegan