Pickled

We made these pickled beets after reading Emma’s review of them, and once the last beet was fished out of the jar, we wondered what to do with the leftover brine.First, we added more beets and did the whole thing over again. Once the second batch was eaten, however, we went a different route, turning the juice into a salad dressing. It is primarily vinegar, with some spices thrown in, and that’s the base of any good vinaigrette.

Q: I started the Kitchen Cure last weekend, and I somehow forgot that I canned pints and pints of pickled peaches over the summer! Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. And while pickled peaches are OK swirled into some yogurt, I’m hoping I can find something new or different to use them for.Any suggestions? I’m trying to cut down on desserts, so something savory would probably better.

Q: My son brought these home last night and I was immediately intrigued. I’ve never encountered pickled (or “marinated” as the label says) asparagus, but I have to say, it’s pretty tasty. It has the kick of a dill pickle combined with the unique musky flavor of asparagus. I’m thinking salads. Have you guys heard of other great uses for these?

Q: I recently made a huge batch of pickled watermelon rinds for the first time, which turned out to be rather sweet, not sour like I expected. Any ideas for how to use them?Sent by AnaEditor: Ana, how about adding them to salads or a cheese platter? The sweet and sour flavors would probably pair well with meats like grilled steak or braised pork, too.Readers, any ideas for using pickled watermelon rind that is on the sweet side?Next question?

After you’ve dug the last spear out of the pickle jar, you can either pour the pickle juice down the drain and bid it adieu, or you can save and repurpose it into something useful or tasty. Don’t waste that flavorful liquid – here are some great ways to give it new life! 1. Salad dressings: Replace the vinegar in your favorite salad dressing with pickle juice, or drizzle some pickle juice into potato or pasta salad to punch it up. 2.

Q: Can I use the same brine for pickling red onions to pickle ginger? Sent by Shirley Editor: We love reusing pickle brine! I think onion pickle brine would make a great pickled ginger, as it would add some nice, deep flavors. Readers, have you ever reused onion pickling liquid to make pickled ginger?

Q: I planted some jalapeño peppers in my garden this year. I have never used jalapeños in any way. I have pickled and canned a lot of them, but now need to find out how to use them. Recipes? Sent by Arnold Editor: There are actually quite a lot of ways to put these pickled jalapeños to good use. Consider adding them to tacos, quesadillas, guacamole or salsa, and sandwiches. The liquid from pickling is just as useful.

Have you ever seen a Christmas tree ornament shaped like a pickle? They’re surprisingly popular, and although it seems like they’d be a quirky hipster ornament, like a Christmas tree ornament shaped like bacon or avocado toast, they’re actually a long-running tradition in many parts of the country. According to the New York Times, the pickle ornaments are sometimes called Weinachtsgurke, or Christmas pickles, and they’re theoretically a German Christmas tradition.

Whether it’s the pink pickled ginger tucked next the plastic green grass in the sushi you pick up from the grocery store, or the pale, thin slices served at your favorite sushi joint, chances are you’re always going to find ginger of some sort next to your order. Ever wonder why? Us, too. So we did some digging for an answer. Traditionally, pickled ginger (or gari) is served as a palate cleanser during a meal made up of several courses of sushi.

You’ve polished off the last pickle in the jar. For most of us, the next obvious step is pouring out the liquid and washing that jar so we can use it to store more bulk bin items. Not so fast! The liquid leftover in the jar might not seem like anything special, but in fact, it’s liquid gold — and you should be saving every single drop of it. Here’s why. Which means it’s packed with zesty flavor, spices, and salt.

Pickling is fresh in our minds by the time we hit the end of summer and want to preserve the season’s produce as long as possible. We reach for the obvious: cucumbers; peppers; onions; and hard vegetables, like cauliflower, carrots, and beets. But even as summer gives way to fall, there are a surprising amount of other foods you can (and should) pickle. Once pickled, grapes are transformed from sweet to crisp and deeply spiced.

Love pickles, but don’t quite have the patience to make them yourself? I’ll admit that I fall into that boat. What if there was a simple way to make homemade pickles in less than two minutes? It sounds a little too good to be true, and a little out there, since this process involves using a syringe. But that’s also why it made me even more excited to put this tip to the test to see if it actually works.

While I’ll never turn down good ol’ cucumber pickles, there are so many other tasty summer fruits and vegetables out there begging to be covered with a sweet-tart brine. It’s time to give squash, peaches, and even okra a star turn in a mason jar — here are ten fruits and vegetables you should pickle this summer! 1. Corn: Pickling tames the sweetness of corn and turns it into a great summer relish to serve with grilled meats or fish.

Q: How do I make a small batch of kimchi, enough to eat over two or three days? I have tried to make a small batch before and it ended up way too salty. I have tried several times with not much success. I am klutz in the kitchen. Can anyone help?

What is Branston Pickle you might ask? Only one of the greatest condiments to come out of a jar, that’s what. After acquiring the taste for cheese and Branston pickle sandwiches while studying abroad in college, I’m officially an evangelist for how great this sweet and tangy chutney is on practically everything. There’s nothing quite like Branston Pickle in the mainstream American market.

Are your garlic pickle spears limp? Do your dilly beans droop? Hopefully these tips will help you make crisper, better textured pickles! Use fresh produce. Vegetables are at their very crispest and firmest when they’re fresh from the plant. Though it’s not always possible to pickle things the day they were picked, the sooner you can get your cucumbers, green beans, and okra pods into the jar, the better texture your finished pickles will have.

Some cooks prepare and study when they want to try something new. Sometimes, I want to be one of those cooks. Alas, I am not. I try new things at random, with only a cursory glance at the internet or a few random cookbooks. That’s exactly how I learned to make refrigerator pickled jalapeños.I love hot peppers — fresh, dried, from a jar, I love them all and will use some kind of heat to spice almost any dish.

It is a known fact that if an item on a restaurant menu mentions pickles, I will order it, end of story. I just can’t get enough of the sour, bright bite of good pickled vegetables and fruit, and while I have a sneaking suspicion that nearly everything tastes better with a side of pickles, there are a few foods that are always improved by tossing in a few pickles.

Over the last five years, I have taught lots of people to can. I’ve written many thousands of words about canning online, I’ve taught hundreds of hours of live classes, and I have answered countless questions about food preservation in both person and in writing. All that interaction has led me to the following opinion: People start canning with the wrong recipes. Nearly all of you choose to start your canning career with strawberry jam and cucumber pickles.

Q: I planted Calypso pickling cucumbers in my garden this year. They are growing very well, and I already have an early yield of 10 larger pickling cucumbers from just four plants! These cucumbers are very prickly and I want to make bread and butter pickles out of them.Do I try to remove the prickles before canning? Or do I make them into pickles with the spikes on?Sent by HilaryEditor: Hilary, we’re going to turn this tongue-twister of a question straight over to our readers.