What to pickle that isn’t a pickle?

It seems to me that most people either love pickles or hate them. I should start this blog by saying that I am not at either extreme but I probably lean toward the latter category. So, many of these recipes are not things that I’ve tried for myself.

You may be wondering why I’m writing about pickles at all. Well, this blog isn’t just about me. People ask me a lot of questions about pickling so I decided it may be a good idea to let you know about the possibilities.

Whether you love pickled cucumbers and want to know what other yummy seasonal produce you can pickle. Or you like pickle brine flavor but are not a fan of cucumbers. Or you are a foodie who likes to try different things. This blog is for you!

When it comes to pickling, really it seems that the sky is the limit—from pickled cucumbers to pickled pigs’ feet with a lot of other things in between. One of the best books with recipes for pickling is Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year Round by Marisa McClellan.

This recipe book includes recipes for how to cook many foods that are in abundance during their season in East Central Indiana. Maybe pickling can be one more way to preserve these foods. These foods include: asparagus, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, beets, and green tomatoes. The recipes for all of these are slightly different. The Lemony Pickled Cauliflower recipe calls for cumin, mustard, and lemon. Whereas the asparagus has a more traditional brine flavor.

Then, there is a nice spin on some of the traditional pickled recipes. The recipe for pickled beets in this book calls for adding ginger and cinnamon.

The most surprising recipe, for me, is pickled brussels sprouts. The recipe for the brine is pretty regular. I suppose the surprising thing to me is that brussels sprouts would be pickled. The fact that I’m not hugely into pickles may have dictated this.

Do you have a favorite pickling recipe that you wouldn’t mind sharing? I’d love to receive it.