Saving The Harvest Through Pickling + Fermentation
SHELLEY PAULS
My first efforts with preserving food started with fermentation and a pile of Napa cabbage. I experimented with making kimchi by utilizing locally grown cabbage, radishes, carrots, onions and spicy peppers. With a bit of mentoring from a friend and patient roommates who allowed my salty concoction to ferment in the kitchen sink, I made my first batch of a traditional Korean side dish.
Then, it was on to hot pepper jelly to use up a successful crop of spicy red and green peppers that I canned in small jars for Christmas gifts, followed by a sunny summer when I picked raspberries and strawberries for jam. With each gardening season, I learned a new recipe for saving the harvest.
My successes and — sometimes moldy — fails come from lessons learned in a book called Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz. Fermented foods have healthy probiotics and bacteria to aid digestion and are made through a process converting carbohydrates into alcohol or acid. Household staples like cheese, milk, sauerkraut and sourdough bread are all fermented foods. Cultures around the world have a rich history of fermented foods, such as miso and pickles coming from Japan, or wine and cheese from France. Katz’s book is a great place to start if you are interested in learning more about fermentation and trying recipes from around the world.
Another way of preserving foods is through pickling, which uses salt, vinegar, sugars, oils and aromatic spices to capture the freshness of vegetables or meats. This method allows communities from around the world to travel with their native food, survive a frosty winter and persevere through a dry season. Pickling can be done in a quick refrigerator style for those wanting an easier method or by canning brined vegetables or meats.
Micheal Joersz, chef and owner of Pickled Kitchen + Pantry in Eagle, makes his own pickles for his gourmet deli sandwiches. He uses the quick pickling process for his spicy dill pickle and pickled onions. He describes the process of making a brine (salt, vinegar, pickling spice), adding garnish, flavor enhancers (bread and butter or dill) and color (jalapeno) to make a spicy dill pickle.
“The pickled onions are easy and quick to make using red wine vinegar and aromatic herbs like cassia bark, cloves or star anise,” he says. Then he adds sugar and salt and simmers the brine. Lastly, he adds the shaved onions. “They are sweet and tart tasting,” he comments.
“Whatever is seasonal you can pickle,” Joersz believes. For him, pickling is more about what’s fresh in season, to keep it as crisp and flavorful as possible, from taste to texture.
He describes his sandwiches as more of a high-end take on what a deli can be on this side of the valley. “We source high quality products from all over the world and the best in show that’s local,” he shares.
To get pickled, he suggests ordering sandwiches and beverages from the liquor store next door and heading out to your next adventure.
PICKLED SWEET CORN
SUGGESTS PAIRING:
BLACKENED SHRIMP AND A FRESH SALAD
4 ears sweet summer corn (preferably Olathe corn)
1 small shallot julienne-cut
1 medium fresno chili julienne-cut
1-2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
1-2 Tbsp champagne vinegar
1-2 Tbsp Colorado honey
Cracked black pepper
Squeeze of lime
Pinch of kosher salt
Optional: cilantro cut chiffonade
FRESH
Cut the kernels from the corn cob by sliding a knife down the corn about 2/3 the depth of the kernel. Mix all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and let stand for 20 minutes. Strain off any extra liquid. Serve fresh or refrigerate. If quick processing, use within a week.
CANNED
Put prepared food in cleaned and sanitized mason jars to the bottom of the rim, packed tightly. Then, put the lids on the jars and seal them with rings, but not snugly, just tight. Rest jars on spare jar rings or a metal jar rest in a large pot. Fill pot with enough water to cover the jars completely. Bring water to a boil and begin timing once water is boiling.
Boiling of the jars depends on each recipe and altitude. For pickled sweet corn, boiling time can be between 15-25 minutes. Remove carefully with a jar grabber and place on a towel on the kitchen counter out of the way. Release some pressure from the rings or remove them completely to avoid moisture being trapped in ring. Listen for a “pop” sound to indicate lid is sealed. Wait 24 hours until jar has cooled.
To test if the lid is sealed, press finger on center of lid. If it goes up and down, then it isn’t sealed and can be placed in refrigerator to be used within a week. All sealed jars are tightened with lid ring then labeled with the date.
Originally published in the Fall 2021 issue of Spoke+Blossom.