Recipes
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Japanese Pickled Vegetables (Tsukemono)

A crisp, refreshing mix of garden vegetables lightly pickled with salt, vinegar, and ginger.

Ingredients

  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 small daikon radish (optional)
  • 1-inch piece ginger
  • 2–3 tbsp rice vinegar
  • ½–1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp sugar or honey
  • Optional: chili flakes, sesame seeds, shiso leaves

Method

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Swaps & variations

  • No daikon: use turnips
  • Sweet pickles: increase sugar
  • Spicy pickles: add fresh chili
  • Herbal version: add mint, basil, or shiso

Storing & freezing

Keep refrigerated for up to 1 week. Not suitable for freezing.

Grow it yourself

  • Need warm soil and consistent watering.,Trellis to reduce disease and improve shape. Cucumbers
  • Direct sow; maintain even moisture.,Thin seedlings early to prevent overcrowding. Carrots
  • Cool-season crop.,Fast-growing (30–60 days). Daikon / Turnips
  • Plant rhizomes in spring in warm, moist soil.,Partial shade preferred. Ginger
  • Diatomaceous earth deters cucumber beetles.
  • Row covers protect radish family crops.
  • Garlic spray reduces aphids on cucumbers.
  • Basil or dill nearby improves growth.
  • Pick when firm, before seeds toughen. Cucumbers
  • Harvest at desired size. Carrots
  • Pull before the root gets woody. Daikon
  • Harvest once leaves yellow. Ginger

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