If you don’t have time to get into canning, try the refrigerator pickle method. I’ve made some nice atchara, pickled peppers and pickled onions this way. In my experience, they last much longer than a month and get sweeter as they age.

I usually do this whenever we get more veggies than we can finish. It’s a good way to quickly preserve food that would otherwise spoil.

Here are a few starter guides:

• http://misswish.com/pickle-recipe
• http://www.marthastewart.com/317530/refrigerator-pickles
• http://www.organicgardening.com/cook/refrigerator-pickles

After you’ve tried it a few times, do a web search for some recipes and start experimenting.

The great thing about refrigerator pickles is that special canning equipment isn’t necessary. You can boil the brine in a small pan and reuse old leftover jars from supermarket-bought items.