Ingredients
300 g (10.5 oz) celery – prepared weight See Note 1
2 teaspoon sea salt See Note 2
¾ cup (180 ml) white vinegar See Note 3
½ cup (125 ml) water See Note 4
¼ cup (60 g) sugar
1 teaspoon whole yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
Instructions
To Sterilise the Jars:
Sterilise the jar or jars you’ll be using to store the pickles. Choose glass jars with an airtight, metal lid and ensure they have been washed by hand in hot soapy water then rinsed well. Check that the metal lids do not have rubber inserts – if they do, allow them to air dry, instead of placing in the oven.
Preheat the oven to 130 Degrees C (270 F) and place the jars in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Keep the jars warm.
For the Pickled Celery:
Wash the celery and trim the stalks to remove the leaves. Set them aside for another use, such as to make stock or soup.
On a diagonal, slice the celery into 1 cm (.4 inch) pieces.
Add the pieces to a bowl, and sprinkle over the salt. Stir, cover the bowl with cling wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Tip the celery into a colander and drain well.
In a small non-reactive saucepan, combine the water, vinegar, sugar and seasonings. Stir over medium heat to dissolve the sugar, bring to the boil and remove from the heat. (See Note 5).
Add the celery to the sterilised jar, top with the pickling liquid and seal with the lid immediately.
Allow the jar to cool on your bench before placing in the refrigerator.
The Pickled Celery can be consumed once cool, but it is best to leave for 12-24 hours for the flavours to develop.