Want the perfect pickles? Try U-pick cucumbers
Published 12:07 pm Tuesday, August 18, 2009
When it comes to U-pick fanaticism, berries seem to get all the summer lovin’, followed by corn and pumpkins in the fall.
This time of year, however, there’s another important seasonal crop to consider before time runs out.
Cukes.
Cucumbers, specifically pickling varieties, are flying out of the fields now at Bailey Vegetables, a U-pick farm in rural Snohomish.
“It’s like a free-for-all out there,” Don Bailey said of his bustling U-pick operation on a recent cloudy morning. “People like their pickles.”
Though the season usually lasts until mid-September, pickers began arriving at the farm earlier this month.
“They just attacked them,” farm co-owner Barb Bailey said after a recent weekend when the fields were nearly picked clean. “We had wagon war out there.”
It makes sense.
Cucumbers aren’t the easiest crop to grow in Western Washington.
They also can require too much space to be practical for many gardeners who want a large singular harvest for pickles.
Recently pickles, which should be preserved within 24 hours of picking, have become especially popular among local Russian and Ukrainian people, Bailey said.
“In the last four to five years, every year, there’s growth,” Bailey said. “Huge growth.”
But it’s not just ethnic populations driving the trend. It’s part of the “buy local” or “food less traveled” movement, Bailey said.
“It’s kind of an outing, too,” he said. “It’s nice.”
Bailey grows the Pioneer variety of cucumber, a fast-maturing hybrid that’s good for fresh eating or pickling.
Viktoriya Kukhotska, 23, of Everett explored the rows with her mother, Lyudmila Gavralova, who makes five types of pickles that her family enjoys as garnishes and side dishes and in salads throughout the winter.
“She knows so many recipes,” Kukhotska said.
Larisa Ryakhovskiy, 21, of Shoreline was picking for her grandmother’s pickling project.
“You can choose sizes for whatever you need,” she said. “The first ones, of course, we eat because they are so fresh.”
Increasing interest in eating local food year round has spurred a boost in canning classes, said Susy Hymas, who runs the Washington State University Whatcom County Extension’s Master Food Preserver program.
“I’m teaching all over the place this year,” Hymas said. “There’s this huge resurgence and interest.”
Newcomers to canning and even old-timers should use updated recipes, Hymas said.
“Grandma’s old recipes are not necessarily considered safe anymore,” Hymas said. “With new bacteria coming into our environment, we’ve had to update food safety.”
Hybrid tomatoes are less acidic than those of yesteryear and that can make a difference in canning chemistry. E. coli is another new concern.
When making pickles, be sure to use a vinegar with at least 5 percent acidity, ideally not rice vinegar or wine vinegar, in a 1-to-1 ratio with water, Hymas said.
It’s not safe to add more water than vinegar in most cases, Hymas said, adding: “You need the acidity to make sure your product is safe.”
Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037, sjackson@heraldnet.com
Refrigerator pickles
Are you intimidated by pickling? Try this simple refrigerator pickle recipe by Herald food columnist and cookbook author Jan Roberts-Dominguez.
“With fresh pack pickles, if you don’t feel like processing them in a boiling water canner in order to store them at room temperature, you can simply store them in the refrigerator,” Roberts-Dominguez said. “In fact, your pickles will be crisper and zestier if you do.”
Jan’s damn-good garlic dills
4quarts pickling cucumbers, rinsed well with blossom ends rubbed off
16large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
4heads fresh pickling dill, halved
1/2teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1quart cider vinegar
1quart water
1/4cup pickling spices
1/3cup pickling salt
2tablespoons sugar
1/2teaspoon ground turmeric
1cup chopped fresh pickling dill
Pack the cucumbers into clean, airtight jars (they don’t have to be “canning” jars) or food grade plastic containers (such as Rubbermaid canisters), leaving ½ inch head space.
Divide the sliced pieces of garlic and halved heads of fresh pickling dill among the containers. Add a pinch (about ¼ of a teaspoon per quart) of the dried red pepper flakes to each container (another pinch of two should be used for those folks who enjoy more “bite” in their pickles).
Prepare the brine by combining the vinegar, water, pickling spices, salt, sugar, turmeric and 1 cup of chopped fresh dill in a nonaluminum pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain off the seasonings from the brine. Then ladle the hot brine into the containers, leaving ½ inch head space. Attach lids. Let cool to room temperature, then store in the refrigerator.
The pickles start to get good after seven to 10 days of aging, but really need at least a month to really blossom in flavor. Even then, they will continue to improve for 12 months or more.
Makes about 4 quarts.
