OCTOBER 27 • 2022 | 31
THE BASIC QUICK PICKLE RECIPE
Makes approximately 2 pints.
Ingredients
1 lb. fresh vegetables, cleaned and trimmed
2 to 3 sprigs fresh herbs, such as dill, thyme
or rosemary
1 to 2 tsps. of whole spices, such as corian-
der, black peppercorns or mustard seeds
2 cloves of garlic, smashed or sliced
1 cup vinegar, such as white, red wine, cider
or rice
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
Directions
1. Wash the jars with warm, soapy
water, rinse well and dry thoroughly.
2. Divide the fresh herbs, spices and
garlic and place into the jars. Put the
fresh vegetables into the jars, leav-
ing a half inch of space at the top.
3. Bring the vinegar, water, salt and
sugar to a boil in a small saucepan,
dissolving the salt and sugar. Pour
the brine over the vegetables to
cover them completely.
4. Gently tap the jars on the counter
to release any air bubbles, adding
more brine, if necessary. Place the
lids on top, sealing them tightly.
Allow to cool to room temperature,
then refrigerate, unopened, for 48
hours. Enjoy for up to 2 months.
Adapted from thekitchn.com
Museum believe that it dates back
as early as 2400 B.C.E., from the
Mesopotamian era. Each region
uses its unique set of ingredients
to ferment fruits, vegetables and
meats. For example, in Korea there’s
kimchi; the Middle East has torshi,
and Morocco preserves its lemons.
Sauerkraut remains a German
staple; France presents cornichons;
and, in Italy, there’s giardiniera.
Ashkenazi shtetl communities
began putting vegetables into
large barrels to ferment in the sun,
then would store them in cool
locations. Easy to eat, inexpensive
and available all year, they became
a dietary staple throughout central
and eastern Europe. According to
The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia
Roden, immigrants from Poland,
Lithuania, the Ukraine and Russia
brought their pickles and pickle
recipes with them to New York.
Merchants selling them out of
barrels and pushcarts on city streets
popularized them.
By the 1920s, the Lower East
Side had close to 80 kosher pickle
factories, creating the largest pickle
industry in the world, according to
Aish.com. The popular version, with
dill, garlic, salt and spices, we know
as the classic kosher dill. Today,
no deli sandwich in America is
complete without one.
Pickling can be done by one of
two methods, either marinating
foods in an acid, like a vinegar, or
soaking them in a salty fluid or
brine. The solutions ferment the
vegetables over time, dropping the
PH levels. A low PH allows for the
growth of good nutritional bacteria
and becomes inhospitable to the
harmful species.
A variety of foods can be
pickled, including fruits, meats
and vegetables such as cauliflower,
cabbage, onions, beets, asparagus
and green beans. The flavors range
between sweet, sour, salty, hot or a
blend.
I consider different pickling spices
as I place my Farber Farm volunteer
bounty into the car. There’s plenty
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