August 24, 2017

Blog Memories: Pickling at Skylands

Snacking on a cool, briny pickle straight from the fridge is one of the simple pleasures of summer. And pickling is a wonderful solution for preserving some of vegetables from the garden. Here is another encore blog - this one originally ran on August 28, 2015.

I always love this time of year when I can start pickling the delicious cucumbers from my gardens.

I remember pickling with my mom, Big Martha - she was a fabulous preserver, following the traditions established by her immigrant mother, Yadviga Ruskowski. Mom made garlic dills and sour dills and soft dills and crispy dills, all in six to eight gallon earthenware glazed crocks. She made bread and butters and piccalilli and cauliflower pickle and relishes.

I try to make a few of a lot of different pickles each year, but since my eating habits don't include so many meats and sausages as formerly, finding a use for so many different pickles is sometimes challenging. But I do find that everyone likes pickles, and providing a dish of homemade delectable pickles with a sandwich or a main course can be a delightful and welcome offering.

Earlier this month, while I was at Skylands, my home in Seal Harbor, Maine, I spent some time pickling. I used several recipes, which I wanted to share with you here. They include:

Emeril’s Homemade Sweet and Spicy Pickles

Cooks.com Open Crock Dill Pickles

Food.Com Polish Dill Pickles Made in A Crock

Cooks.Com Crisp Bread and Butter Pickles

I also used a delicious “Bread and Butter Pickles” recipe from "Joy of Cooking" by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker.

Pickling is a wonderful project to do with friends and family - I even got to pickle with Chef Geoffrey Zakarian. And, I can’t wait until Jude and Truman are able to make pickles with me too.

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