I grew up on kosher dills and stories of my
great-grandfather’s crocks of sauerkraut that bubbled in the attic all through
the winter. When I asked my grandmother how to make pickles, she said to put
the cucumbers in a crock with water and dill and add enough salt until it is
just before you gag. Turns out, I gag easily. Without enough salt to kill
spoilage bacteria, the cucumbers were a stinky, slimy mess in no time.
I learned how to make pickles from books and talking with
older Vermonters. I was part of the back-to-the-land movement, and I think the
neighbors got a kick out of the young hippies who asked endless questions and
didn’t seem to have much in the way of commonsense.
Today the DIY movement has sparked a revival of interest in
all kinds of food preservation–pickling, canning, freezing, root cellaring. While
access to land is a far more challenging problem than it was when I was
younger, access to quality fresh fruits and vegetables, directly from the farm,
has never been easier. It makes sense to put by food in the summer for enjoying
throughout the winter.
I have a new book out this summer called The Pickled Pantry.
It contains recipes and instructions for all manner of pickles–fresh-pack,
fermented, freezer, refrigerator–and even recipes that incorporate pickles,
like kimchi fish stew.
Over one weekend I pickled a case (that’s 48 pounds) of
pickling cucumbers into dill chips, bread and butters, and curry chips. I take
these pickles with me when I do workshops on making pickles or when I go to
book signings at book stores. I have
60 pint jars of pickles in a corner of my dining room. Which, of course, points
out one of the big issues with food preservation: storage.
People often ask how long it takes to write a cookbook like
this, which has about 150 recipes. The answer is usually, “All my adult life.” If
the book covers a subject I care passionately about – cooking vegetables,
making pickles, preserving – then, truthfully, I’ve been at it since I left my
mother’s house, a long, long time ago.
The thing about self-sufficiency, working with nature,
making delicious food: There’s always something new to learn. I’m still at it. If
you’d like to see what I’m cooking and preserving this summer, please check out
my website, www.andreachesman.com, and
visit my Roots and Leaves page, where I post pictures, recipes, and comments
about what I am up to.
Andrea Chesman presented workshops at the Seven Springs, Pa. MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR.
Please visit the FAIR website for more information about future FAIRs, June 1-2 in Puyallup, Wash. and Sept. 20-22 in Seven Springs, Pa. Tickets are on sale now.
You can also get FAIR updates on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
