I just want a pickle...

Ever since visiting John’s grandparents in Italy I’ve been intrigued about growing my own vegetables. At almost every meal we had salad provided by John’s grandfather’s garden. This is partly what made buying my own hot-pepper plant so appealing but it’s also, perhaps, what made me come up with the great idea of making my own pickles!

If you know me well, you know that I love pickles. There is just something great about them. So this isn’t as random an idea as it might seem to someone who doesn’t share the same love for pickles. Besides: part of my adventures in Paris is about trying new things, right?

First step: research. I spent a significantly more time than I ever thought I would researching on how to pickle cucumbers. Which cucumbers are best? What method should I choose? How long does it take? In case you ever decide to do this: there are a million different ways to make pickles. My method: brining overnight followed by the refrigeration method.

Step two: not getting lost in translation. I figured out everything I needed, which is easy in English. I almost forgot that I had to figure out how what things like Mustard & Celery Seed are in French! This part was not as easy as I had hoped. Luckily, I’ve been cooking here long enough to know what most of the ingredients were and where to find them.

Step three: the search. Let me just say that looking for small cucumbers is not only hard but not so much fun. Not to worry: it took a morning but everything was found.

Step four: the brine. I chose to brine my pickles because it would help speed the pickling process. This may come as a surprise but I don’t always have the patience to withstand time. Making the brine was simple but rather stinky. It took 24 hours of the apartment smelling like pickle but we could finally move on the interesting part.

Step five: preparing the jars. Once the brining is complete you have to then decide what seasonings will accompany your cucumbers in the jar (in my case it’s onion, garlic and fresh dill). You also have to prepare the sauce, which is less potent than the brine, and then pour the mixture into jar. I have to admit I now understand why purchasing pickles is appealing: it not only takes less time but consuming the pickles is less messy.

And now we wait. I still have a week, at the earliest, until I can taste my pickles. I’ll be sure to let you know how it happens but so far so good.

UPDATE:

John and I opened up the pickles last night. Sadly, I learned the distinct difference in vinegars. Substituting one for another didn’t work so well and the pickles were a little too sweet for my taste. But it worked. I made pickles! Definitely not something I think I’ll do on a regular basis but a pretty cool thing to say I’ve done.