It used to be that pickling was something only your grandmother did. But that doesn’t apply anymore.

Younger generations are embracing pickling as a way to explore their interest in food, preserve the season’s bounty and cut their food budgets.

These days, pickling is so trendy that it’s even been parodied by the comedy show “Portlandia.” In one skit, the actors’ penchant for pickling gets out of control as they drop everything from parking tickets to dead birds into jars of vinegar.

Jokes aside, pickling pros say the practice doesn’t have to be long and involved. There is a method called quick pickling that does not require sterilizing jars and lids. You store the finished product in the refrigerator and it’s good for a month.

“Plus, once people see how easy it is, then they realize that they can do it, too,” says Kristy Page of Fresno, California, who has been pickling for several years. “And once you really get into it, there is almost no limit to what you can pickle.”

Page has pickled everything from cherries to curried cauliflower. The pickled cherries are loaded with fall-like flavors of star anise, cinnamon and cloves, which Page uses as a topping on pork, in salads and on ice cream.

Quick pickling requires just a few ingredients: vinegar, sugar, salt and spices. Page likes to buy a Mexican spices pickling mix found at some Hispanic grocery stores. If you can’t find that, popular pickling spices include bay leaves, celery seed, turmeric, garlic, coriander, mustard seed, cinnamon stick and black pepper.

Pickling newbies can try just about any vegetable they like, but keep in mind that vegetables with tougher skin hold up better in the pickling process. Cucumbers, carrots, radishes and peppers are good choices.

Andrea Garza has been pickling for 10 years and knows several people who have gotten into the hobby as a way to preserve the abundance of vegetables from their backyard gardens.

“Others want to try and save a little money,” Garza says. “Either way, it is becoming popular.”

On her blog, Crazy Crayons ― www.crazycrayons.wordpress.com ― Garza recently wrote about pickling 3 pounds of jalapeno peppers using the canning method of sterilizing jars and lids. That many peppers may seem like a lot to most people, but not for Garza.

“I have learned from experience that between the amount of chilies we eat and the number of jars I give away, I need roughly 15 per year,” Garza wrote recently on her blog. “Needless to say, I will be pickling again next week.”

Veteran pickler Felix Muzquiz is a fan of preserving cauliflower, carrots, peppers, okra, green beans and asparagus. Last year, she pickled carrots and hot peppers and was pleased with the results.

“It looked really beautiful with all those fall colors of red, yellow, orange and green,” Muzquiz says. “It really is a nice way to keep the flavors of the season.”

For those who actually want to try to make pickles, Muzquiz recommends adding a fresh grape leaf to the jar to keep the pickles firmer and crisper. She also slices off the blossom end of the cucumber.

“Pickling is really a blast,” Muzquiz says. “And it gives you a very satisfying feeling to be able to do preserve something like food.” 

By Robert Rodriguez

(The Fresno Bee)

(MCT Information Services)