Amazing Pickled and Marinated Vegetables

• 1 quart cider or white wine vinegar
• 1 quart water
• 2 tablespoons sea salt
• 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1 fresh red chili, deseeded and chopped
• 2 pounds mixed mushrooms and a few sprigs of fresh thyme, rosemary and sage
• 2 pounds firm eggplant and 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 pounds firm zucchini and 6 sprigs of fresh mint
• 2 pounds fennel bulbs and their herby tops
• 2 pounds small onions and 4 bay leaves
• 2 pounds red and yellow peppers and a few sprigs of fresh thyme

1. Make sure you have some small sterilized jars ready to go.
2. Bring the pickling liquid ingredients to the boil in a big pan.
3. Put the pickling marinade ingredients into a large bowl with your chosen herbs and mix well.
4. Slice up your chosen vegetables any way you like, but if it's a larger vegetable try to get the pieces around 1/2-inch in thickness.
5. This way, the flavors and pickling liquid will penetrate sufficiently.
6. Smaller vegetables, like mushrooms or very small onions, can be left whole.
7. Place the sliced vegetables in the boiling pickling liquid and leave for around 3 minutes - they'll probably rise to the surface, so keep pushing them down to ensure they are all immersed.
8. Lift the pieces out with a slotted spoon and place them into your bowl of pickling marinade.
9. Toss together - it will smell fantastic.
10. Pretty much straightaway, put the hot vegetables and pickling marinade into your sterilized jars, filling them to the very top.
11. Cover the vegetables completely with the marinade and put the lids on tightly.
12. Put the jars aside until they're cool.
13. Clean the jars, attach sticky labels and write the date and the contents on them.
14. Store the jars somewhere cool and dark - it's best to leave them for about 2 weeks before opening so the vegetables really get to marinate well, but if you absolutely cannot wait, you can eat them sooner.
15. They'll keep for about 3 months - but they're so bloody good I'm lucky if the jars last for a couple of weeks in our house!
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cider, water, salt, extravirgin olive oil, garlic, red chili, mushrooms, oregano, zucchini, fennel, onions, peppers

Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-oliver/amazing-pickled-and-marinated-vegetables-recipe.html (may not work)