Many people believe vinegar has curatives properties, but it has to be proved, other people believe vinegar is bad for your body. There are many types of vinegar such as apple vinegar, malt vineger, mirin (rive vinegar), cane sugar vinegar and fruits vinegar.

I love to eat vegetables prepared in vinegar and it helps me with my condition of being a diabetic person. People who consume vinegar probably won't suffer of amebiasis. I won't eat raw cabbage and leaves vegetables without vinegar because they can be contaminated with amoebas.

Vinegar is obtained of the fermentation of the alcohol from the sugar cane, corn and malt and from some fruits . I am going to use the sugar cane vinegar or you can use any you prefer, but for this preparation we need to use this white vinegar. The important thing is that to cook with vinegar you have to use stainless steel pans or plastic and glass containers for salads.

This vegetable preparation is named Encurtidos in Venezuela and people use it for the hayacas. I don't prepare my hayacas with pickles, but I eat them with wholemeal bread, arepa or white rice. I am preparing this for some friends who use them in their hayacas, it is a kind of christmas present.

Ingredients:

• 1 cauliflower
• 1 white onion
• 1 green or red pepper
• 2 cucumbers
• 2 carrots
• 1 cup of white vinegar
• black peppers
• 1/2 litre of water
• salt
• 2 sterilized jars

Preparation:

• wash the vegetables very well
• cut them as you desire

• boil the water
• add 2 tablespoon of salt
• separate the vegetables
• start cooking the carrots for 5 minutes boiling
• take them out and place them in another dish
• in the same water place the cauliflower and cook it for 5 minutes too
• taken them out of the water
• in the same water add the cucumber and cook for 3 minutes boiling
• take them out of the water
• in the same water add the onions and peppers

• now you have all the vegetables cooked, remember not to cook them too much, they mustn't be soggy. Sterilize the lids with alcohol at 70%, don't touch them with your fingers, use nippers and shake them to dry the alcohol.

• fill the jars with the vegetables still hot

• in the water left in the pan add the cup of vinegar

• in every jar place some black peppers and fill them with the solution of water and vinegar

• close the jars and place them in the pan to boil them for 30 minutes to preserve them for long time
• after that time place them upside down on a clean cloth to seal them for about 12 hours
• the air drops must go to the bottom of the jar
• after that time the lid beomes concave at the centre
• if it doesn't get concave don't store

I always open a jar of pickle after 15 days of prepared because they have a better taste. Enjoy it.