There are several things my papa and i bond over; botanic gardens, house plant propagation, family history, widdling walking sticks, broken-in leather bags and most of all pickles. We both are seriously devoted to pickles.
It's a running joke that his top requisite for a wife was whether she canned her own pickles. Needless to say, my mom doesn't even really like pickles. And yet true love endures.
Given the fact the pickle juice runs in my veins, when Kate F. posted about her recent fridge pickle making foray, I shamelessly copied.
And since then, I've consumed 5lbs of homemade pickles in two weeks. It's been awesome. All thanks to Kate. Can I just take a minute to say how much I love this girl? After a year of reading each other's blogs, we had our first real live date last week. Not only is she holy smokes pretty, she was able to geek out with me about the various foods featured in The Little House on the Prairie, a surefire mark of someone I will instantly and forever adore. Salted ham! Maple syrup snow! Kate, you're the best!
And since then, I've consumed 5lbs of homemade pickles in two weeks. It's been awesome. All thanks to Kate. Can I just take a minute to say how much I love this girl? After a year of reading each other's blogs, we had our first real live date last week. Not only is she holy smokes pretty, she was able to geek out with me about the various foods featured in The Little House on the Prairie, a surefire mark of someone I will instantly and forever adore. Salted ham! Maple syrup snow! Kate, you're the best!
I love pickles too. When I was a little girl in Alaksa, I used to walk my Barbie Doll all the way down the dirt road past the telephone poll to my BFF Sarah's house. Her Mom used to make us peanut butter and pickle sandwiches on toasted bread. I know it sounds a bit odd, but it's a wonderful snack. My only pickle problem is in the squeeky skin. When I bite into the pickle and teeth meet cucumber skin, it feels like fingernails on a chalkboard.... Take care,
ReplyDeleteShelby at http://scriptactivist.blogspot.com/
Tbh I'm not a pickle fan
ReplyDeleteBut the way you write really makes me laugh :)
God I love pickles! I used to drink pickle juice when I ate all the pickles and still wanted more!
ReplyDeleteYUM!
ReplyDeleteThis made me SO hungry. I am a pickle snob. I like them cold, crisp and garlic-y. Clausen are my favorite store bought, but these will be a must try soon! I may even add some cracked peppercorns in there too. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI need a good walking stick.
ReplyDelete"Maple Syrup snow!:
ReplyDeleteLol, you don't know how many times my sisters and I attempted to do this. It never worked:(
oh, pickles. i eat so much, my family used to gift me with giant jars of them for christmas.
ReplyDeletei ate a whole jar of tabasco pickles two days ago and am trying to make up for it by finding my dad's recipe for fridge pickles, but to no avail; this post is just the most perfect timing.
not that it isn't always the perfect time for a pickle. mmm.
I have been looking for a good fridge pickle recipe - I'll have to try this one!
ReplyDeleteYou are a precious soul, Emerson. And this pickling talk is making my mouth water- pickle juice.
ReplyDeleteoh, i had the best pickle ever yesterday from a little italian deli. you're making me hungry for it again.
ReplyDeleteTo find oneself in a pickle isn't all that pleasant. On the other hand, to find one on the outside of a pickle is a pleasure beyond words.
ReplyDeleteI love pickles. But I have never made my own. Then yet, I just made apple sauce this weekend. My nephew was holding an apple, and asked me "How do you think we can turn this into apple sauce?"
ReplyDeleteSo, we looked it up! And made some yummy home made apple sauce.
So, I'm sure home made pickles are in my future. Said nephew will hold up a cucumber and say, "How do you think we can turn this into a pickle?" And I will redirect him to your blog to get the link for Kate F. :)
Hi! I've been reading your blog since it was featured...I just wanna say, I love your blog~ it's so interesting, especially all your antiques and family photographs...you're so lucky that your family's history has been saved and you can learn about it. I can't say the same for mine.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I LOVE PICKLES!!! I can't get enough pickles or pickle juice, EVER! I never thought about making my own, though. Maybe one of these days when I'm not so busy, I'll try it out.
I don't want a pickle, I just want to ride my motor.... cickle.
ReplyDeleteYep, like Arlo, I love the way they make your mouth water when you sniff the jar (and my hubby loves to drink the juice. I think that's weird, but he likes the juice out of the tinned beetroot, too. Weird. Or is that "too weird"?) and they are great with cheese & peanut butter on toast. You betcha.
MAPLE SYRUP SNOOOOWWW!!! SERIOUSLY!!?!? Why doesn't it work for us!?!??! There must be something different about the syrup we have today compared with what they used to make. It must have been like maple syrup caramel or something...gee whilikers, can you imagine?
ReplyDeleteThis last week I learned how to bake bread this last week, good old fashioned sour dough from an 18 year-started given to me by my mother-in-law. The first 3 tries weren't so good but I THINK I'm getting the hang of it! I LOVE how they talk about the starter and how you have to feed it and take care of it in Little House. It's the best!
year-old* starter. (old enough to go out and buy a pack of cigarettes, if only I wasn't baking it into loaves!!! ;-))
ReplyDeleteWe spent yesterday afternoon making beetroot chutney. Not the same as pickles but just as tasty. Only trouble is you have to wait 2 months before you can eat it. Glad to see that someone else has the Little House on the Prairie cookbook. We have the maple syrup just waiting for the snow.
ReplyDeleteWow... A Little House on the Prairie cookbook?
ReplyDeleteI've got to get it!
Thanks for letting us know it exists.
I wonder if the Wilder's used Maple Cream instead of maple syrup? It has a thicker consistency and wouldn't melt the snow. Perhaps they boiled the syrup longer to have less liquid.
I bought some last year in Vermont.
Pure Maple Cream is great on toast! Yum!
I have a great Pickles story.
ReplyDeleteAny one want to hear it?
My very best friend when I was growing up was Paulette PICKLES.
I'll let that sink in... Her last name was Pickles. True! Only she could handle a name like that. Miss Pickles looked just like Olivia Hussey in the movie "Romeo and Juliet".
One day at a horse show in Connecticut my rather unruly horse (Named Friendly. Go figure.) BIT my best friend on her amble boob and she needed to go to the hospital in an ambulance. Can you imagine being beautiful and bit on the breast at 13? Having to brave the embarrassment of male EMT's and doctors treat your poor badly bit boob?
Miss Pickles forgived me but never my horse!
I forgave my horse, however, because she won me a grand championship that very day. The only one of my riding career. Do you think the judges felt sorry for my beautiful friend?
It's hard to think about pickles without my dear friend Paulette Pickles. Her birthday is this weekend. Thanks for the reminder!
I always get so hungry when I see your food photos! I just had breakfast, but I could go for some half sours IMMEDIATELY.
ReplyDeleteAmy!!! I just got back from NH (and the no-internet zone) to see this! You are a sweetheart.
ReplyDeleteFailed-maple-snow makers, Amy and I discussed that very problem: I recently figured out that in the books they were making maple snow while boiling syrup down into maple sugar to store. I'm pretty sure they waited until the syrup was at the soft-ball stage to pour it on the snow. You'd just need to boil down your syrup and use a candy thermometer, but that does mean it's a dangerous hot-sugar situation not quite so suitable for kids!
Not that I'm not dying to do it this winter.
Ahem.
I canned pickles for the first time this summer. Now I can't stop - jalapenos, green beans - it's addictive!
ReplyDeletemaple syrup snow! my parents made this when we were little with syrup from the sap of a tree in our yard. it was so cool!!
ReplyDeleteLove fridge pickles! My bf and I are making them weekly with all the fresh cucumbers around and we are in heaven.
ReplyDeleteMolasses snow is to die for too, but I've never tried maple syrup. Sounds amazing! Off to get a pickle...
ReplyDeleteMy Mom got me the Little House cookbook as a wedding shower gift. It still makes me teary eyed whenever I look at it and remember reading those books with her.
ReplyDeleteLast year I read Little House in the Big Woods to my 3 year old son. He was so into the maple syrup snow. He longs for a maple syrup tree of his very own. Alas, we live in Southern California. He'll have to make do with our avocado tree.
I really enjoy your blog.
Greta
my husband loves pickles and is totally addicted to mcclure's. they're not inexpensive, so i'm happy they told us we could use the liquid twice by adding another cucumber. i'm going to check out the recipe you mentioned.
ReplyDeletei love pickles as well!! great post!
ReplyDeleteGrew up helping Mom in the kitchen making pickles and relish. Love your pics and the story!
ReplyDeletekate, I think we get to get involved in a dangerous hot-sugar situation this winter. I've been waiting my whole life for this!
ReplyDeleteOoh, reminds me I have pickled onions almost ready to eat...
ReplyDeleteYUM
wow... pickles are such a hit... sometimes I recycle our Claussen pickle brine when all store bought pickles are eaten.. just lightly steam broccoli, cauliflower, carrots need a little more cook time, cukes none at all.. and put them back in the jar for a few days in fridge... not homemade... (like by the perfect spouse) but fast... and not bad...
ReplyDeleteI don't care for pickles, but these looks really tasty!
ReplyDeletePardon me Madame, but did you use pickling cucumbers or standard garden variety?
ReplyDeleteOf the subject a bit but... the same day of this pickle post, we went to an
ReplyDeleteoutdoor environmental center to hike and ponder the mysteries of life.
At the end of the trail was a sacred garden that had an antique wooden pickle processing barrel turned into a curvaceous bench. Very resourceful, clever and comfortable.
They also had these same repurposed pickle barrels turned into water collectors for gardens. Cool, huh?!
You could even imagine the brackish water inlet, that the pickle bench was by, to smell of pickles!
Perfect timing for your post.
Amy- It's a plan!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which, Pickle Day in NYC is right around the corner - Oct 2!! I for one missed it last year and pickle fiend that I am as well - I'm psyched!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nyfoodmuseum.org/
don't know about salted ham unless it's like a Kentucky ham, salt cured for weeks and hoo boy you better like salt!
ReplyDeletePickles look delicious.