3 Homegrown Texas Plants Perfect For Pickling

Texas-inspired plants that taste amazing and are great for pickling.

Pickling is all the rage right now. Just look at anyone's Pinterest or TikTok and you'll see something being pickled. But that doesn't mean this trend is a bad one. As a matter of fact, pickling can be one of the most fun and delicious things you can do.

You may be thinking, " isn't pickling something old people do?" No! It's something everyone does, and, they've done it for a while. According to taste.com pickling is easy, healthy, and tasty.

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As a Texan, I wondered what native homegrown plants does Texas produces? What I found were several that I am now dying to put in a good ol' vinegar brine.

Native Texas Plants according to northtexasvegetablefarmers.com

1. Peppers:

When you think of Texas food, peppers definitely play a big role.

"The most dominant being the Chile Pequin. This is the smallest pepper but is still quite hot and it is believed to be the first strain of wild pepper. It is very easy to find, harvest, and grow in a garden."

Check out this recipe for pickled peppers. No rhyming jokes, please.

2. Berries:

Well, the people of Texas may be sweet but you may not know that Texas also grows some sweet berries.

"The Southern Dewberry is a Texas native blackberry and grows around shady creeks. The Red Mulberry is the native strain of mulberries in Texas and grows in the same areas as the Southern Dewberry. Varieties of hackberries and barberries are also scattered around the state."

Here's a recipe for delicious pickled blueberries. But you can substitute any type of berry.

3. Prickly Pears:

Prickly pears in English or nopales in Spanish, it is definitely a traditional southwest food.

"These deserve a warning because they grow on cacti, and cacti are sharp, and can hurt, a lot. But they’re also delicious, and if prepared right, also a great summer fruit. Once again, learn how to prepare them because the fruit has spines in the skin as well."

Here's a recipe for tasty pickled prickly pears.