tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190698551624574472.post5917448779264056490..comments2024-03-06T15:41:15.077-08:00Comments on Trout Caviar: A Report Upon the State of My Pickle, August 2010Trout Caviarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11236671377889601457noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190698551624574472.post-32801710717259211432011-07-08T18:06:31.534-07:002011-07-08T18:06:31.534-07:00seems like I missed this post last year. I love of...seems like I missed this post last year. I love of your pickling - I read Thayer's books, I bought them both not in little part thanks to this blog :). Love to see what you are doing with pickling. I have been more adventurous myself over the last year, but no milkweed yet - they are far too beautiful... and I don't have THAT many (Dogbane, now, that's another story....)sylvie in Rappahannockhttp://www.LaughingDuckGardens.com/ldblog.php/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190698551624574472.post-1979071096521840792010-08-26T06:28:31.609-07:002010-08-26T06:28:31.609-07:00El, Angie, I've been circling around the milkw...El, Angie, I've been circling around the milkweed for quite a while, after reading about it in Sam Thayer's work (foragersharvest.com). At the various stages of the plant's growth almost all parts are edible--and you can stuff life vests with the fluff from mature pods! So far I've just nibbled at the flowers and young pods, then did the pickles for the first time this year. They're good, both kinds; I would make them again.<br /><br />Re the apples, all of our inherited apple trees are intriguing mystery varieties, and some are actually wild. I don't know what defines a crab. Those apples are large for a crab, small for a regular apple. The lady apple pictures I've seen show a red-and-green streaked apple, whereas these ones ripen to a uniform deep magenta, so who knows?<br /><br />El, I'm with you on the wonders of fermented foods. I love them in winter soups, and I must have my sour dills with my ham on rye or sliced on my burger. I still have some from a gallon I put up last summer. They're remarkably crisp still, and here's why: sour cherry leaves in the brine.<br /><br />Anon., it doesn't have to be just a dream! You can really do it. Start with something simple like a small batch of bread and butter pickles like I did. It's a really satisfying feeling to have your own home-canned food, and it doesn't have to be a big production. That book I mention, The Joy of Pickling, is a great resource, and the Ball Blue Book is excellent, as well. For fermented foods (a little more daunting for the beginner, but not at all difficult), Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz is a good guide (as well as a lifestyle manifesto...!).<br /><br />Have fun~ BrettTrout Caviarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11236671377889601457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190698551624574472.post-55093595668948780472010-08-25T16:08:41.259-07:002010-08-25T16:08:41.259-07:00I echo El - milkweed pods! Very intriguing.I echo El - milkweed pods! Very intriguing.angiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10580426976030683874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190698551624574472.post-79199022597268454302010-08-25T14:23:36.814-07:002010-08-25T14:23:36.814-07:00hi Brett-
thanks for this, I have still not been ...hi Brett-<br /><br />thanks for this, I have still not been brave enough to attempt the alchemy you describe. I did have a dream several months ago seeming to be indicating that it would be a good idea for me to put up some food, as in....food shortages coming? Seemed like not only me but others were doing this canning.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190698551624574472.post-6397479377816324872010-08-25T06:38:38.537-07:002010-08-25T06:38:38.537-07:00Those milkweed pods are intriguing!
One year, I p...Those milkweed pods are intriguing!<br /><br />One year, I pickled some nasturtium seed pods a la capers: they're pretty good. But just like capers I don't use them terribly often.<br /><br />Likewise, those apples. Are they really crabs or some kind of lady apple, I wonder, but then potato potahto I suppose: pickling sounds like a good place to end up with them. Beats jelly.<br /><br />I confess I don't do much in the way of vinegar pickling any longer. I do a lot of lactic fermentation with a touch of whey as, well, I have lots of whey, but honestly we're not big on pickles. I do like sauerkraut and sauerruben and of course I always reach for my pickled red onions in the winter...but tastes have shifted. Like you Brett I am glad to have learned about small-batch canning; it is a lifesaver if you only have a pinch to preserve.elhttp://fastgrowtheweeds.com/noreply@blogger.com