phik

Both of my regular readers will recall my fondness for pickled turnips, but you may not necessarily have appreciated my love for virtually all things pickled. And as one who is not really in the habit of moderating my intake of anything, it’s quite fortunate that pickling (as far as I know) tends to be a fairly healthy way to prepare food.

People have been asking what I’m up to these days, and for the past few weeks I have been mostly out of town. But this week I have been pickling my ass off.

I can recommend without reservation The Joy of Pickling, from which almost all of these recipes came. It tells you how to pickle everything from artichokes to shrimp, and includes good information for people who have never sterilized or canned anything in their entire lives. Many of the recipes are designed for refrigeration or quick consumption, and thus don’t even require the annoyance of boiling water pasteurization.

From left: spicy Japanese cucumbers pickled in soy; Thai pickled carrots; shallots pickled in red wine vinegar; Polish pickled mushrooms; cilantro cucumber pickles; hot and spicy eggs; salt eggs; red onions; green beans; asparagus; and the omnipresent Lebanese pickled turnips

Some of these — both cucumber pickles, the carrots, and the red onions — are ready within hours. Of those, only the red onions will not be invited back for next season (this particular pickle seems to produce a result indistinguishable from simple deflaming; I have higher expectations for the shallots). The cucumbers in soy have a considerable bite that goes perfectly with the salty soy; the carrots are a simple but delicious sweet and sour contrast; and the cilantro cucumbers are so delicious that my entire stock of willpower reserves were required to ensure that any made their way into the jars at all. If you don’t think cilantro tastes like soap, you will love them.

The remainder will be ready at various times over the next three weeks, for which my excitement and hunger are both palpable.