Recipe: Florida betony and hibiscus pickles

Last Updated on June 20, 2023 by Aaron von Frank

Florida betony (Stachys floridana) produces delicious, crispy tubers that taste like a sweet radish with no spiciness. The bright white color of Florida betony tubers allows them to take on the color of other vibrantly-colored ingredients like edible Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) during preparations such as pickling or fermentation. 

In this article, you’ll find out how to make our simple Florida betony and hibiscus pickle recipe! 

When life gives you invasive weeds, make pickles

Most people who’ve heard or Florida betony probably hate it. That’s because it’s typically considered an invasive weed.

In our case, we intentionally grow Florida betony (safely confined in grow bags to prevent spread) because it’s one of our favorite root crops. Yep, Florida betony produces a crisp delicious tuber that tastes like the sweetest radish you’ve ever eaten, but with none of the peppery spice.

Florida betony tubers.

In fact, Florida betony tubers are comparable in quality to their highly esteemed cousin, crosnes (Stachys affinis), which are revered by gourmet chefs. 

So if you happen to have Florida betony growing in your yard or garden, OR you happen to know the location of a wild patch, you’re in luck. Or at least, you’re about to be in pickles… 

If not, you can take a deeper dive into how to forage, grow, and harvest Florida betony here. 

Florida betony-roselle pickles: a beautiful and unusual treat!

Using Hibiscus sabdariffa for pickling

We’ve long sung the praises of roselle, aka the edible calyxes of the Hibiscus sabdariffa plant. See: How to grow and use edible hibiscus. 

Roselle is a common name for Hibiscus sabdariffa, the best edible hibiscus plant. The plant produces thick, bright red calyxes which can be used dried or fresh to add color and tangy flavor to foods and drinks.

Roselle offers tangy flavor, vibrant red color, and a load of vitamin C to any dish you put it in. We think it’s the perfect companion ingredient to Florida betony tubers in pickles since it turns them from white to vibrant pink-red in color. It also adds some flavor nuance. 

You’re not going to find Florida betony tubers at a grocery store, but you can find roselle. If not at a grocer, you can buy quality roselle online. 

Green coriander or substitute standard dried coriander

The only other potentially unusual ingredient we’d recommend for this pickle recipe is green coriander, aka the immature seeds of the coriander plant. However, you can just as easily substitute standard dried coriander 1:1 and your life (and pickles) will turn out just fine.  

You can use green or brown coriander for this recipe. Green is better if you have it available!

We also use bronze fennel from our garden but any type of fennel will do. You could also use dill, but we prefer fennel for this recipe.

Starting and finishing your betony pickles with the right amount of brine

This recipe makes one 3/4 pint jar (1.5 cups or 12 ounces) of Florida betony-hibiscus pickles. We use a wide-mouth jar which makes it easier to get ingredients in and out. 

We use this size jar because it’s roughly the height of a large Florida betony tuber, so the pickles fit nice and snug in the jar when positioned vertically.

When making the brine for this recipe, you’ll be using a standard 1:1 water-to-vinegar ratio. Use quality organic distilled white vinegar or Bragg apple cider vinegar.

How do you figure out the exact amount of water and vinegar to use?

1. Place your cleaned Florida betony tubers vertically into the canning jar until you have the amount you want (we use about 5 ounces of tubers, which creates a nice tight fit). 
2. Pour water in the jar to the fill level, or about 1/2″ below the lid.
3. Then pour the water out of the jar into a measuring cup. This gives you the amount of brine you’ll need to make, so you’ll then make a 50/50 mix of water and vinegar accordingly. 

Temporarily remove the tubers from the canning jar. Put flavoring ingredients into the bottom of the canning jar (coriander, fennel, garlic, salt) then put tubers back in. This will help hold the secondary ingredients in the bottom of the jar during pickling. 

How to make the pickling brine

Now, put your hibiscus calyxes, vinegar, and water into a small saucepan over medium-high heat with the lid on. If you leave the lid off, you’ll lose a lot of water to evaporation and have to add more water/vinegar at the end.

Don’t mimic this picture. Instead, keep the lid ON while you’re making your roselle pickle brine so that you end up with about the same amount of liquid you started with.

Bring to a boil, the continue to cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. Now the brine should be bright red in color! Immediately pour the hot hibiscus brine over your betony pickles and carefully screw the jar lid on to avoid burning your fingers. 

Storing and eating

Let your Florida betony pickles cool to room temperature before storing them in the fridge.

How long should you wait until eating them? At least a day, but they’re even better a few days later. Due to the high acidity of the brine, your Florida betony pickles will store in your fridge for 2-3 months. 

Eat your Florida betony pickles as-is, use them as a side dish, or serve them as an addition on a charcuterie board.  

Recipe: Florida betony and hibiscus pickles

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Florida betony pickles with hibiscus roselle

Course: charcuterie, Preservation, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: betony tubers, florida betony, florida betony pickles

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 6

Author: Aaron von Frank

A simple, tasty pickle recipe made with Florida betony tubers and roselle (the edible calyxes of the Hibiscus sabariffa plant).

Ingredients

• 5 ounces Florida betony tubers, cleaned
• 7-10 dried Hibiscus sabdariffa calyxes (aka roselle)
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds (green or brown)
• 4-5 sprigs of fennel (we use bronze fennel)  
• 1 garlic clove, thin sliced
• 3/4 cup vinegar (use quality organic white vinegar or Bragg’s apple cider vinegar)
• 3/4 cup water (*Note: You may have a little brine left over after pouring over your betony tubers. However, if you don't have enough brine, simply mix a 50-50 solution of water and vinegar to top up the jar to about 1/2" below the surface or as-needed to cover the ingredients.)
• 1/2 tbsp salt (we like pink Himalayan salt) 

Instructions

1. Clean Florida betony tubers and place them vertically into a 3/4 pint wide-mouth canning jar (1.5 cups or 12 ounces). You want the ends of the tubers to be covered by brine, so cut them to size if they're more than 1/2" from the surface of the jar.

2. Next you're going to figure out the exact volume of brine needed. Pour water in the jar (with tubers in) to the fill level, or about 1/2″ below the lid. Then pour the water out of the jar into a measuring cup. This is the amount of brine you’ll need to make, so you’ll then make a 50/50 mix of water and vinegar.

3. Temporarily remove the tubers from the canning jar and put flavoring ingredients into the bottom of the canning jar (coriander, fennel, garlic, salt). Put tubers back in. This helps hold the secondary ingredients in the bottom of the jar during pickling. 

4. Put hibiscus calyxes, vinegar, and water into a small saucepan over medium high heat WITH THE LID ON to prevent water loss.

   Bring brine to a boil, then cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. Now the brine should be bright red in color! Immediately pour the hot brine (with hibiscus calyxes included) over your betony pickles and carefully screw the jar lid on to avoid burning your fingers.

   Let your Florida betony pickles cool to room temperature before storing them in the fridge. Let sit in fridge for 24 hours before eating. The longer they sit, the more red color they'll absorb. These pickles can store in your fridge for up to 2-3 months.

KIGI,

Chew on these related articles:

• How to forage, grow, and harvest Florida betony
• How to grow, harvest, use edible Hibiscus sabdariffa
• How to grow and use green coriander
• How to make quick fermented daikon radishes, tsukemono style