Pickles, two ways
Reader Stephanie Baldwin has fond memories of making these pickles growing up in New Zealand. She uses a mix of vegetables.
Recipes:
Red Onion Pickles with Peppercorns
These may be the most versatile pickles you can make. “They’re a natural for sandwiches and, of course, burgers, but they’re also great with smoked fish,” says Seattle chef Renee Erickson. You can use this brine for asparagus, fennel, shallots, garlic, celery, ramps, or chard stems.
Pickled Mushrooms with Garlic and Thyme
You can snack on these pickles right from the jar, tossed with a little olive oil, or served with roast chicken. Seattle chef Renee Erickson also recommends using them in a Bloody Mary skewer.
Pickled Cherries with Tarragon and Vanilla
Seattle chef Renee Erickson uses fresh sour cherries for this bright pickle, but sweet Bings work well too—and so do frozen cherries of either type. You could use the brine for rhubarb, green (unripe) strawberries, or apricots. Eat with cheese or charcuterie.
Pickled Jicama, Ginger, and Summer Peppers
A great use for the sweet peppers piled up at the farmers’ market—all of them work in this juicy, tart pickle.
Mustard and Ginger Pickled Carrots
San Francisco Bay Area chef and cookbook author Joanne Weir gave us this tender-crisp pickle. It’s good served with raw vegetables alongside dips at a party.
Spicy, Crunchy Pickled Green Beans with Lemon
Kombu, a kind of kelp, gives this pickle a certain velvety umami character, especially when it’s allowed to sit for a few days. The pickle also gets spicier with time.
Sweet and Sour Cucumber and Red Onion Pickles
We riffed off classic bread-and-butter pickles, adding the unexpected tastes of lemongrass and coriander.
Pickled Fresno Chiles
A Southern California chef piles these spicy sweet chile rings on burgers.
Recipe: Pickled Fresno Chiles
Pickled Chipotle Asparagus
Linda McCready of Rancho Cordova, California, makes these pickles with fresh Central Valley asparagus. The recipe yields five jars of asparagus spears and one jar of "nuggets" ― the tender trimmings from the stalks.
Recipe: Pickled Chipotle Asparagus
Pickled Ginger (Beni Sho-ga)
Finely shredded pickled ginger, used as a garnish in Japanese recipes, is easy to make and tastes fresher than store-bought.
Recipe: Pickled Ginger (Beni Sho-ga)
Pickled Green Beans with Dill, Tarragon, Garlic, and Peppercorns
Making these tart, snappy beans couldn’t be easier: Stuff raw beans and seasonings into jars, add a boiling vinegar mixture, and put jars in the canner. They’re just the thing with a Bloody Mary or burger.
Recipe: Pickled Green Beans with Dill, Tarragon, Garlic, and Peppercorns
Slow Sauerkraut
Austin Durant's "gateway recipe" for home fermenting was sauerkraut—once he'd made it, he was smitten.
Recipe: Slow Sauerkraut
Quick Sauerkraut
An L.A. chef came up with this shortcut take on sauerkraut that doesn’t involve any fermentation, just a zap in the microwave to wilt the cabbage and help it absorb the brine.
Recipe: Quick Sauerkraut
Canned Heirloom Tomatoes
For this extra-easy recipe, adapted from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, you just squish raw skinned tomatoes into jars. This cold-pack technique may cause the fruit and liquid to separate a bit during processing, but the results still taste delicious.
It's essential for food safety when working with tomatoes that you acidify them with bottled (not fresh) lemon juice or citric acid, which has a standardized acidity, and that you do not increase the amount of herbs or add any other ingredients.
Recipe: Canned Heirloom Tomatoes
Savory condiments
Recipe: Range Fire Salsa
Gayle Stover named her spicy salsa for the range fires that are common near her home in Hazelton, Idaho.
More:
Tomato-Garlic Chutney
Chipotle Tricolor Relish
Golden Tomato Ketchup
Lou's Chile Sauce
