pickled milkweed florets

I've been experimenting with pickles, preparing for the workshops I'm teaching for The Botanist Gin.  I'm pickling bite-sized, foraged edibles to garnish a wild Gibson.

Last weekend I harvested milkweed florets, and after a quick blanch I made a brine of equal parts vinegar and water, then added fennel seeds, dried hibiscus flowers, and a bay leaf.

I used white vinegar so the green of the florets would shine through, but as the liquid hit the hibiscus flowers, their red color began to spread through the brine. 

No complaints.  The color may not be bright green, but the taste is tart, complex, and dare I say it, woodsy.  There.  I dared.