Pickled vegetables (V)

Before refrigerators became common, people used to pickle food as a way of preservation. Last week's New York Times had the recipe above called Giardiniera for pickled vegetables, which I tweaked a little to suit my Scandinavian palate. Four serrano chiles and 1 tsp pepper flakes are definitely too hot for me. I had no celery seeds so I substituted with dill weeds and it gave a lovely hint of Sweden, where dill is a common spice in pickle recipies. Also, I doubled the amount of dressing:
Veggies:
2 Serrano chiles, thinly sliced with seeds removed
2 red bell peppers cut in 1/2 inch pieces
2 stalks of celery, sliced
2 carrots, julienned
1 medium head of cauliflower, cut in florets
1/2 cup salt

Dressing:
4-5 cloves garlic, slivered
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp Italian spice mix
1 tsp dill weeds
2 tsp crushed black pepper corns
2 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup olive oil

1. In a bowl, mix cut vegetables with salt, making sure everything is well combined. Cover with water and let sit at room temperature for 10 - 12 hours. This can be done in the evening or in the morning before going to work.
2. Mix dressing ingredients well until emulsified.
3. Rinse vegetables well and put in two sterilized one-quart jars. Push to get all veggies in if necessary. Cover with dressing and let sit in the refrigerator for 2 - 3 days before serving. Will keep for about three weeks.