By: Dan Zahra, for the Auburn Journal

With the bounty of produce available this time of year, the pickle producing possibilities are endless. Pickling is a positive way to spend some quality time with family. Everyone creating their own jar of pretty pickled produce concoctions. Pickled asparagus to zucchini and everything in between can be pickled with different blends of vinegar, sugar, salt, peppers and water or other flavor neutrals.
The blends of herbs, spices and enhancers (such as whiskey, hot sauce or whatever you desire) will make your pickles unique. This is in every way the kind of food you play with.
I made pickled red onion, Persian cucumbers and carrot. One jar of regular, one jar of red pepper flake and one jar of whiskey pickles. I was pleasantly surprised with the whiskey pickles. I had a light bulb moment and added the whiskey to the jar to see what would happen. It added just a hint of oak-aged whiskey flavor that comes up on the backside of taste. Remember, as always in food preparation, the golden rule is “you can add more but you cannot take it out,” same as you can’t un-cook something you have overcooked. So start out with a hint and add more if needed.
I had some brine left over after filling three jars so I quickly sliced some red cabbage and garlic and pickled them as well. It all came out delicious. If you saw last week’s column on pumpkin potatoes cakes, the pickled veggies were in the foreground in the photo. They were a perfect side to the pan seared salmon.
As I write this I have some favorites waiting to bath in the glory of the brine. This batch will be cauliflower, sweet peppers, Brussels sprouts, red onion, garlic, Persian cucumbers and green beans.…

Pickling Brine
Ingredients:
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt

Directions:
• Place your desired herbs and spices in the jars.
• Bring the vinegar, water, salt and sugar to a boil and then let cool somewhat before pouring the liquid into the jars.
• You can add fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, mustard seed, cumin seed, pepper corns, cloves of garlic, or just use the store bought pickling spice mix and save a bunch of money by not buying them separately.
•With my pickles I made three versions all using the same brine. To make them unique I just added 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes to my spicy pickles. To my whiskey pickles I added 1 tablespoon of Irish Whiskey to the jar before adding the veggies.
• You can pickle all kinds of veggies. I chose Persian cucumbers, carrots and red onion.

By Tammy Kimbler   –   Mother Earth News

Giardiniera Pickles

Giardiniera comes from the word giardino, or garden in Italian, and is literally a garden pickle. The vegetable combination is very flexible, but the flavor profile usually includes at least hot and sweet peppers. This pickle is meant to be made from what you have on hand. I love giardiniera chopped up on sandwiches, tossed in pasta salads and eaten along side a nice grilled steak.

Gather up what you have left in the garden, from your neighbors or from your local farmers market, and pickle the best of it before it’s all gone.

Mixed Vegetable Giardiniera Pickle Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 quarts mixed chopped vegetables like zucchini, yellow squash, kohlrabi, cauliflower, sweet peppers, hot peppers, carrots, celery, onions, yellow beets, radishes, green tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.
• 1/2 cup salt
• 4 cloves garlic quartered
• 4 hot chiles, halved
• 1 bunch fresh oregano
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp celery seeds
• 2 tsp crushed black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups white wine vinegar

Instructions:

1. Cut vegetables into chunks, slices or planks, just so that everything is similarly sized.  Leave green cherry tomatoes, small onions/beets/radishes whole.

2. In a large bowl combine all the vegetables and 1/2 cup salt.  Cover with water. Cover the bowl and allow the mixture to sit on the countertop overnight.

3. The next day, drain the vegetables and rinse thoroughly with cold water.

4. Prepare your water bath canner.  Place 4-5 pint jars in the water bath to warm.

5. Bring the vinegar and water to a simmer in a separate pot.  Into the hot jars, divide the garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, celery seed and peppercorns.

6. Pack the vegetables into the jars, then pour over the vinegar solution.

7. Add the lids and process the pints for 10 minutes.

8. To serve, dress the pickles with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, course salt and freshly ground pepper.

Yield 4-5 pints

Tammy Kimbler is the blogger of One tomato, two tomato. A cultivator at heart, Tammy’s passions lie with food, preservation, gardening and connecting to her local community through blogging and urban agriculture. She eats well and love to feed others as often as possible. She currently resides with her family in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Gillie Houston   –   www.yahoo.com

For most, pickles represent a source of salty brine and satisfying crunch; for others, they represent much more. “Cucumber pickles are a way of life here in eastern North Carolina,” Chef Vivian Howard says in the promo for the next episode of A Chef’s Life.This week, Howard visits a cucumber farm and gets a lesson in the ins-and-outs of pickles.

First, she heads into the kitchen to be taught the art of pickling from a family who has been doing it for generations. Howard asks her guest: “What did your mother do with the pickles?” His answer? “Had them with chocolate cake.” The host tries the oddball combination and admits it’s surprisingly good.

Howard then gets to flex her farm skills, watching in awe as some 15-20 massive dump trucks per day are filled with the harvested green vegetables, ready to be soaked, jarred, and enjoyed by pickle lovers everywhere. To learn how to make your own quick pickles, check out the recipe below.

Check your local PBS listings to find out when A Chef’s Life airs in your area.

PICKLES

In this episode we show you how to make fermented pickles. That process takes days. If you don’t have that kind of time and need pickles pronto, try this recipe for making quick pickles.

Quick-Pickled Cucumbers and Onions

Makes about 4 cups

1 pound small, seedless cucumbers, cut into ¼-inch rounds
1 bunch spring onions, cut into rings or 1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 (12-ounce) bottle unseasoned rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the cucumbers and onions in a 1-quart jar with tight-fitting lid.

Bring the vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve, about 2 minutes. Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumbers and onions, making sure the vegetables are submerged.

Cover and refrigerate until chilled before serving. Store covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Love Vivian Howard? Check out these stories:

Why Vivian Howard is the Southern chef you should know

Vivian’s one-pot chicken and rice recipe

Vivian says: Don’t mess with Mom’s classic recipes

J.m. Hirsch, Ap Food Editor – reprinted from www.timesunion.com

Can you handle just one more Asian-fusion taco? You’re rolling your eyes. I know. But what if it’s one that’s easy enough and delicious enough to truly be worth making at home?

Truth is, most of the popular Tex-Mex-Asian blends have been produced in food trucks and brick-and-mortar joints that are far flung from most Americans (because though Los Angeles and New York City hate to admit it, the vast majority of our country doesn’t live in either city). The result is that most folks only get to read about the deliciousness that is Asian flavors packaged in a Tex-Mex-friendly delivery system.

So my goal was to break down those flavors into something easily reproduced at home. And so I give you the beefy seaweed taco with jalapeno-jicama slaw.

Let’s start with the beefy. For a bold steaky flavor, I went with flank. But I wanted as much Asian savory goodness as possible, so rather than cook it whole, we thinly slice it across the grain, then give it a bath in a blend of fish sauce, soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. It takes just a couple minutes in the pan to give us the sear we want.

The steak gets piled on top of that ubiquitous green of lower rung sushi joints — seaweed salad. You know you love it, even if it is dyed fluorescent green. You’ll find it at most Asian markets (and many natural foods grocers sell non-colored versions). On top of that goes a quick slaw made from crunchy jicama tossed with citrus juice and jalapenos. The whole thing comes together with a bit of cheese and you’re done. You’ll thank me on Taco Tuesdays.

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BEEFY SEAWEED TACOS WITH JALAPENO-JICAMA SLAW

Start to finish: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

3 tablespoons fish sauce

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided

2 tablespoons sugar

1 pound flank steak

1 cup jicama, cut into matchsticks

1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 tablespoons lime juice

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Eight 6-inch corn tortillas

1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

8 ounces (about 1 cup) seaweed salad

1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco or blanco cheese

Heat the oven to 200 F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil and the sugar. Slice the steak across the grain into very thin strips, then add to the fish sauce mixture. Toss to coat evenly, then set aside for 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, toss together the jicama and jalapenos, then add the orange and lime juices. Toss again to coat. Taste, then season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Stack the tortillas and wrap them in foil. Set the packet in the oven to warm.

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Use tongs to remove the meat from the marinade, letting as much liquid as possible drip off back into the bowl and reserving the marinade. Transfer the steak strips to paper towels and lightly pat dry. Add the dried steak strips to the skillet and cook only until just barely seared, about 1 minute.

Whisk the cornstarch into the reserved marinade in the bowl, then add the mixture to the skillet and cook for another minute, or just until bubbling and thickened.

To assemble the tacos, remove the warmed tortillas from the oven. Down the center of each, spread a spoonful of the seaweed salad, then top with strips of steak (with some of the pan sauce). Top with jicama-jalapeno slaw, then finish with sprinkle of the cheese. Serve immediately.

Nutrition information per serving: 510 calories; 210 calories from fat (41 percent of total calories); 24 g fat (7 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 85 mg cholesterol; 2390 mg sodium; 44 g carbohydrate; 7 g fiber; 11 g sugar; 34 g protein.

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J.M. Hirsch is the food editor for The Associated Press. He blogs at http://www.LunchBoxBlues.com and tweets athttp://twitter.com/JM_Hirsch . Email him at jhirsch@ap.org