ACIDE: Bread & Butter Zucchini Pickles - 300g

The jar that started the whole racket

ACIDE began with this one. Zucchini sliced fresh, dropped into apple cider vinegar with onion, mustard seed and turmeric, and enough sugar to hold the line between sweet and sharp. It went out onto a stall at Coburg Farmers Market and people came back for it — then kept coming back. This is the jar that gets hidden at the back of the fridge so nobody else finds it.

The flavour

Sweet up front, golden and turmeric-warm, with the onion sitting just underneath. The apple cider vinegar arrives in the middle and cuts a clean line through it. The finish is mustard seed — those little pops of heat-free bite — and a savoury celery-seed hum that keeps you going back for the next slice.

How to cook with it

• Pat a few slices dry on paper towel before they hit the burger. Wet pickles turn a good bun into a sponge — dry ones just add crunch and cut the fat.
• Build a toastie with the zucchini under the cheese so the slices warm through without steaming the bread, then press until the outside goes dark gold.
• Lay them out on a board next to something rich — pâté, a washed rind, cold roast pork — and let the vinegar do the resetting between bites.
• Dice a handful fine and fold them through potato salad or egg mayo. You get the acid hit without a puddle of dressing.
• Rogue move: don't tip the brine. It's a ready-made vinaigrette base — shake it with olive oil and pour it over sliced tomatoes.

In the jar

Golden coins of zucchini stacked in a turmeric-yellow brine, shot through with slivers of onion and whole mustard seeds suspended right through it. The slices hold their shape and their snap — they don't slump into the liquid the way a soft pickle does.

Ingredients & Dietary

Ingredients: Zucchini, Apple cider vinegar, Sugar, Onion, Sea salt, Mustard seeds, Turmeric, Celery seeds, Emulsifier (E415).

Dietary: Contains mustard seeds and celery seeds. No gluten-containing ingredients, and suitable for vegetarians — always check the physical label.

FAQ

Are these spicy? No. There's no chilli in the jar — the bite comes from vinegar and mustard seed, not heat.

What do they go best with? Burgers and toasties are the classic move — pat a couple of slices dry first so they add crunch without sogging the bun. They also cut clean through rich charcuterie on a board.

Do they need refrigerating? Keep them chilled once opened and use a clean fork — they'll hold their crunch far longer.

Are they gluten free? There are no gluten-containing ingredients listed, but ACIDE don't carry a certified gluten-free claim, so we list them as gluten friendly. Always check the physical label.

The Rub Smuggler's Verdict

Word from the docks: this is the jar that started ACIDE, and it's earned its fridge space. Build the burger properly — Low N Slow Basics Beef Bounce on the patty, Blues Hog Original brushed on late — then pat the zucchini dry before it goes on, so the bun stays a bun and not a sponge. Sweet, sharp, gone by Tuesday.