Unpacking Pickles

You know what's great about pickling? You can do it anytime! 

I had this stereotype I was carrying around about pickling that it is a thing you do in the late summer or fall, using the freshly-ripened bounty of your own garden, and never any other way. 

Well, I am here to apologize to pickling. I am sorry about all the times I made assumptions about you, or expected you to speak on behalf all fermented foods, or caused you to feel tokenized in any way.

Let's just free pickling from the simplistic notion that it belongs to one time and one time only. We live in a complex reality and I think we really need to start building a framework to give some context to this and unpack our own positionality. 

In regard to pickles. 

Pickled green tomatoes (left) and cucumbers (right), canned in the fall using the freshly-ripened bounty from my own garden.

But seriously, you can buy all the stuff you need for pickling any time of year in any grocery store, AND you can use old glass jars (as long as you have the right lids) if you don't feel like investing in mason jars. 

Dill Pickles (cukes, little green tomatoes, green beans, whatever), courtesy of my mom's childhood

***You'll need a pot tall or wide enough to boil your pickling jars to sterilize them before packing.***

Start with:

1 quart water
1 pint vinegar
1/3 cup salt

Bring to a boil.  This is enough liquid to cover 4 quarts of pickles if the cukes are small and fill the jar well.  If you think you've got more than 4 quarts on your hands, the amounts below should be added to the above proportions for each extra jar (approximately).

1 and 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup vinegar
2 Tbsp salt

Cukes should not be more than 4 or 5 inches long.  Pack them tightly into sterilized quart jars and to each jar add the following:

2 heads dill
2 red pepper pods (dry)
2-4 cloves garlic 

Place horseradish or grape leaf over the top of the cukes (this step optional) and pour boiling liquid slowly over the cukes.  Seal by putting closed jars into your sterilization pot and boiling for several minutes.  Let cool and put jars in a dark place for 6-8 weeks before using.

Kimchi 

1 head of cabbage (there's probably a correct kind, but I've done red and green of many varieties and it's all turned out great)

1/4 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp srirachi hot sauce

1 tsp ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 scallions, finely sliced

Cut cabbage into quarters, remove core and slice into 1/2 inch slices. Put into colander, add salt, mix well. Place over bowl and let drain until wilted (approx. 2 hours). 

In a large bowl, combine vinegar and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add all the other ingredients except the cabbage and stir. Rinse cabbage of salt, dry, and add to vinegar mixture. Stir to combine.

Put into sterilized jar and pack down. Add water to cover. Close jar and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. The longer it's in, the spicier it is.

Pickling!