Pickled Radishes - Pretty in Pink!

When I was a little girl, my Dad nicknamed me 'pickles'. I am still not really sure why, yet like most nicknames within a loving family home, it was a term of affection. I really didn't need to know where it came from, I just answered to 'pickles'!
Fast forward some thirty years or so, and no one calls me 'pickles' anymore, however I find I have developed quite a passion to pickle things!

'pickling is the process of preserving foods by anaerobic fermentation in brine or vinegar, the resulting food is called a pickle, this procedure gives the food a salty or sour taste'

The past month I have been consulting to a local restaurant and cafe, to help them rewrite their menus and introduce some healthier options. More details about that soon!
One of the dishes I have created for the restaurant menu, required pickled radish, so to test out the flavours of the dish, I decided to pickle some radish!
It was a simple, colourful, tasty delight working with the radishes from my local farmers market and in the end they were so 'pretty in pink'.

Pickled radish:

3 bunches of radishes

2 cup apple cider vinegar 

1 cup raw sugar

1 cup filtered water

8 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds

2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

2 garlic cloves, peeled, sliced thinly

Wash radishes thoroughly.

Slice thinly.

Place three pint(325ml)preserving jars in low oven to heat and sterilise.

Mix all other ingredients in a pot, on a medium heat, bring to the boil and then simmer until sugar and salt dissolves.

Fill hot sterilised jars with radish slices, even amount between the three jars.

Fill each jar to top rim with hot pickling liquid. 

Place lids on jars to seal.

Place in a hot water bath, jars should be covered with water, boil the filled and sealed jars for 10 minutes.

Remove from the water bath, allow to cool, after 24 hours check all lids have sealed properly.

Best to leave the finished jars to pickle for two weeks before opening to taste.

Preserved properly they will keep on the pantry shelf for up to nine months or for 4-6 weeks in refrigerator after opening.