I'm discovering new veggies.
A few years ago 4 young people decided to grow a garden. It's a long story, but it grew into a small business. Around here, unless you grow your own you don't get veggies that haven't been in a refrigerated truck for who knows how long and fresh out of the garden tastes totally different. Anyway, now they have a nice piece of land and a veggie stand and also offer weekly delivery of whatever is in season that week. So I signed up for delivery.
My first unusual veggie was Spreen. What? Never heard of it. But there it was in my basket and it was delicious in a salad. They supply recipes each week but it was a spreen fritter which I haven't tried because it's just been too hot to fry anything.
Next up was the Sour Gherkin, also known as the Sandita. It was so new to me that at first I thought it was some kind of a new variety gooseberry (the size was right) or the smallest watermelon ever grown, neither of which was such an outrageous thought when you consider that these 4 people grow a huge variety of produce.
They offered this recipe (not their own) for a quick pickle and it turned out well.
Recipe of the Week
Pickled Gherkins
We love to pop sour gherkins into salads (or just straight into our mouths) but these little guys make a very delicious (and quick!) pickle.
Ingredients
4 allspice berries
8 black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
1 1/3 cups white wine vinegar
2/3 cup water
1½ teaspoon pickling salt
3 tablespoons honey
1 quart of gherkins
1 large sprig tarragon
1. In a mortar, lightly crush the allspice, black pepper, and coriander seeds.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the crushed spices with the vinegar, water, salt, and honey. Bring the liquid to a boil, and then let it cool for 5 minutes.
3. Pack the gherkins into a quart jar along with the tarragon. Pour the hot liquid over them, right to the top of the jar (add a little more vinegar if you don’t have enough liquid to fill the jar to the top). Screw on a lid; if it’s metal, put a piece of plastic wrap in between. Let the jar sit at room temperature for at least three days before tasting the pickles. After that they should keep well at room temperature, but you may prefer to eat them chilled.
After three days of pickling the sanditas make a crisp, mildly tart snack; you may find yourself downing them by the dozen. Over time they’ll get more sour and more suitable as an accompaniment to fatty foods.
|
