A few weeks ago I went over to my neighbor’s house and she served me the most amazing Asian-inspired pickles. Carrots, celery, various colored bell peppers, daikon, and ginger combined to make this delicious treat I could NOT get enough of. The problem is, you can’t buy this in a store. She graciously offered to teach me how to make pickles since I confessed that canning was an art I had not mastered.
I have this thing about food poisoning. I worry about it incessantly, so I’m ultra-cautious in my kitchen. I’ve been afraid to try much canning because of it. While I have occasionally tried jams or jellies, I haven’t been overwhelmed by the result. This amazing woman has taught me to over-come that worry.
She invited me to come to her house and make some of those pickles. What a wonderful chance to get to know a new neighbor and learn a new skill! Even better, she works with children, so she has no problems with my daughter being under-foot.
We chopped the vegetables, boiled some liquid, put it all in jars and…were done? It was so amazingly simple…I was inspired.
Today I tried making pickled ginger. Pickled ginger is one of several foods my family enjoys but never has enough of because it can be so expensive in the store. As soon as I taste these, I’ll post the recipe on the site…but in the meantime, there are some great ones on the internet. Here’s a link to one I liked.
I also made some home-made chocolate syrup that I love more than what I’d buy in the store and am trying out the new crock-pot by roasting a chicken. I’m feeling very productive today and enjoying that these items were easy to make!
