a batch made with shallots, red pepper flakes, and white peppercorns

who doesn’t love pickles? they are crispy, tangy, and refreshing, and are great with a sandwich or a can of beer, or alone. Yet, in the past I always had pickle purchasing dilemas. Two things wrong with buying pickles: (1) they cost anywhere from $3 and up a jar (with gourmet brands running $8), and (2) the jar of delicious treats is only so big, and my true desire for a satisfactory amount of pickles to have on hand in my fridge would put me at buying four jars a week… HOWEVER, most people overlook how affordable and easy pickles are to make!  I first began my pickling experiences when I graduated from culinary school and was an intern at a small restaurant in the Mission District of San Francisco.  There I spent a lot of my time cleaning chanterelles and butchering rabbits, but I also got to do a small deal of pickling green beans and carrots and even huckleberries.  Below are a few simple pickling recipes that really have a wow factor. You can add pretty much anything into a batch of pickles that sounds good to you, or mix up the ingredients below. What’s important is that you keep a general ratio of water to sugar to vinegar.

To start, I like to pickle by the boatload.  I use a gallon wide-mouth jar and pretty much take up the whole fridge. It’s also important to remember that you can retain your pickling juice and reuse it.  I like to take half of my leftover liquid and add it to my next jar I’m about to pickle. Also, the leftover juice is great in bloody marys and other cocktails. Have some friends over, and call your housemates out of their rooms: “HEY GUYS I MADE PICKLES!”

Basic Sweet Pickles

1 part water

1 part apple cider vinegar (I like Braggs)

1 part sugar (minimally processed sugar encouraged!)

Use your personal taste guide your add-ins:

star anise pods, fennel seeds, peppercorns, chile peppers, red pepper flakes, juniper pods, garlic, shallots, mustard seeds, coriander, bay leaf.

1. Throw your water, cider vinegar, and sugar into a saucepan and heat until the sugar is disolved. Add in your mix ins and heat a minute longer. Pour mixture into a heat safe bowl (like pirex or ceramic) and let sit for about ten minutes to cool.

2. Pour over your pickles in their jar.  Let sit for half an hour uncovered to cool more.

3. Throw it in the fridge, fogettabout it! Begin enjoying as soon as the next day! Enjoy as soon as a few hours later if you’re me and can’t wait.

love, mary