[mdjlucan]

Can you pickle them

[Goneterseed]

I do, I love them.

[Thrutchington]

Found that when I have pickled them they went soft, no idea why. Good luck!

[grinling]

I've pickled early as some were already turning soft.
Some people add sugar to help.

[Salmo]

Pickled shallots are in my opinion better than onions to pickle.

Peel them, place in a bowl, sprinkle with plenty of salt, leave for 24 hours, tip them into a colander and wash the salt off, shake them to get rid of excess water, pack tightly in jars, pour over cold spiced vinegar, put tops on.

We have a family tradition that the first pickled shallots are opened on Boxing Day, and never before.

Small onions also stay crisp with the same treatment.

Wine vinegar is a little milder. Sweet pickle vinegar is a little different.

[RJR_38]

Pickled shallots are in my opinion better than onions to pickle.

Peel them, place in a bowl, sprinkle with plenty of salt, leave for 24 hours, tip them into a colander and wash the salt off, shake them to get rid of excess water, pack tightly in jars, pour over cold spiced vinegar, put tops on.

We have a family tradition that the first pickled shallots are opened on Boxing Day, and never before.

Small onions also stay crisp with the same treatment.

Wine vinegar is a little milder. Sweet pickle vinegar is a little different.

Ooh this is a good idea for my teeny tiny onions! Do you have a good 'recipe' for your vinegar mix?

[Salmo]

Spiced vinegar as found in recipe books. Not an exact science. Put vinegar in a pan, add a teaspoon full of pickling spice, bring to the boil and simmer for a bit, allow to cool. Or you can buy ready spiced vinegar. Make sure that your vinegar is at least 5% acidity.

As you pour the vinegar into the jars some of the peppercorns etc will go into the jars. If you like your pickles spicy add a some extra spices from the bottom of the pan. 

[Val H]

http://www.allotment-garden.org/recipe/oils-vinegar/make-spiced-flavoured-vinegars-pickling-vinegars/

Information and recipes for spiced vinegars.

[Salmo]

http://www.allotment-garden.org/recipe/oils-vinegar/make-spiced-flavoured-vinegars-pickling-vinegars/

Information and recipes for spiced vinegars.

For sweet vinegar that says 2 lb sugar in 2pints of vinegar. That seems a lot of sugar to me. For gherkins, which is the only thing I do in sweet vinegar, I would use about half a pound. What do others use?

[RJR_38]

Thanks Val! Something new to try....

[Val H]

The Sweet Spiced Vinegar is more for fruit pickles than something like gherkins. For gherkins I'd just use whatever spiced vinegar you would usually use for say, cucumbers, and add one or two teaspoons of sugar per jar.