123ArticleOnline Logo
Welcome to 123ArticleOnline.com!
ALL >> Food,-Cooking-and-Drink >> View Article

The World's Best Pickles

Profile Picture
By Author: Janette Blackwell
Total Articles: 14
Comment this article
Facebook ShareTwitter ShareGoogle+ ShareTwitter Share

I knew they were the world's best pickles the moment I tasted one. That first taste took place around 1950, and I've tasted a lot of pickles since, am a pickle hound in fact, but I've never come across anything else as good.

They came to us by way of my Uncle Ronald Smith, who was an electrician in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana where I grew up. One day he was doing electrical work for a Bulgarian family, and they rewarded him with a sample pickle. He liked it so much he got the recipe and gave it to his wife Gladys, who gave it to Grandma Glidewell, who made it and gave some to me, and I thought I'd died and gone to pickle heaven.

And thus, although they became an old Glidewell family recipe, they are really an old Bulgarian family recipe. The Bulgarian family, whose name I do not know, told Uncle Ronald that in Bulgaria, when the first heavy frost kills the tomato vines, they put all their end-of-garden vegetables -- including those green tomatoes -- into a barrel, fill the barrel with pickling brine, and eat the best pickles in the world all winter.
It turns out, though, that the ...
... pickles' travel from Bulgaria to the U.S. was only one leg of a more ancient journey. Because I mentioned them to an Iranian woman, and she said, My family has always made pickles like that! Exactly like that, except we add tarragon.

Iran being the new name for the ancient kingdom of Persia, who knows how many centuries these pickles go back?

There's more: I later lost the recipe's brine proportions. Gave some thought to its travels between Persia and Bulgaria, looked in an Armenian-American cookbook (Treasured Armenian Recipes, published in 1949 by the Armenian General Benevolent Union) and there they were, under Mixed Pickles No. 2. Turns out the world's best Armenian pickles are just like the world's best Bulgarian and Persian and American pickles, except they include dill, and sometimes green beans and coriander seed.

So this is an old, old recipe belonging to the whole human family.

END-OF-GARDEN PICKLES

Vegetables:

Green tomatoes*, cut in half or quartered if large
Carrots, peeled and cut into strips
Cauliflower, separated into small florets
Baby onions, peeled, or larger onions halved or quartered
Green peppers, cut into broad lengthwise slices
Garlic, two peeled cloves per quart jar
Medium-hot peppers, two small whole peppers per quart

You can also add unpeeled and unwaxed small cucumbers, zucchini, or lightly cooked green beans, though we never did. The hot peppers add adventure and zest, but if you prefer to save your tears for really sad occasions, why not?

Amounts and proportions depend on what vegetables you have and how many quarts you plan to make. You don't have to have the green tomatoes, and the other things can be bought in a grocery store. But you do need a variety of vegetables, and you have to have the onions and garlic, or you won't have the world's best pickles. You will have the world's so-so pickles, and that would be a shame.

Armenian-Persian-Bulgarian Brine

To one quart of water add 1/4 cup pickling salt (salt that isn't iodized), and one cup of white distilled vinegar. Bring the mixture to a boil. This is enough brine to cover two quarts of mixed pickles, with a little left over.

Processing

Follow the canning instructions in a good, standard cookbook. Or, if you plan to eat them right away, pack the vegetables into clean quart jars, pour over them the hot brine, and keep the pickles covered in the refrigerator. Some of the more impressionable vegetables, like zucchini, will be ready to eat in only two or three days.
________

* The green tomatoes for this recipe should be at least thinking of getting ripe. A tomato demonstrates its thoughts along this line by getting a white overlay on top of the green.

Go STEAMIN' DOWN THE TRACKS WITH VIOLA HOCKENBERRY, a storytelling cookbook -- and find Montana country cooking, nostalgic stories, and gift ideas -- at Janette Blackwell's Food and Fiction, http://foodandfiction.com/Entrance.html -- or visit her Delightful Food Directory, http://delightfulfood.com/main.html

Total Views: 328Word Count: 743See All articles From Author

Add Comment

Food, Cooking and Drink Articles

1. Balsmico
Author: Tahir Lateef

2. The Rise Of Non-alcoholic Event Bars: Good Bar Is Changing The Game
Author: Good + Bar

3. Gwalior’s Culinary Gem
Author: sachin kirar

4. Top Catering Services In Hyderabad For Family Get-togethers And Engagement Parties
Author: gkbcatering

5. Top Catering Services In Hyderabad: Best Veg And Non-veg Options For Your Event
Author: gkbcatering

6. Understanding Live Resin: What It Is, How It’s Made, And The Extraction Process
Author: Roger Whitham

7. Thanksgiving Cake Toppers: Creative And Easy Ideas To Elevate Your Holiday Desserts
Author: Carlo's Bakery

8. Explore The Best Non-veg Pickles In Hyderabad – A Flavorful Journey With Tulasi Pickles
Author: Diya

9. Corporate Event Planning: Crafting Exceptional Experiences For Employee Wellness And Engagement
Author: Good + Bar

10. Family Friendly Restaurant At The Red Lion In Ipswich- A Perfect Spot For Kids And Parents
Author: The Red Lion

11. Discovering Vegetarian And Vegan Restaurant In Cambridge At The Brewers Inn
Author: The Brewers Inn

12. A Guide To The Best Gluten-free Products In The Uk: Tasty Alternatives For Every Meal
Author: King Soba Noodle Culture

13. The Health Benefits Of Tea With Turmeric And Ginger: A Warming Blend For Wellness
Author: Ministry of Tea

14. What’s Inside Cow Feed? A Simple Breakdown Of Ingredients
Author: Maneesha

15. How To Choose The Best Cheesecake Online Delivery In Mumbai?
Author: Loveandcheesecake

Login To Account
Login Email:
Password:
Forgot Password?
New User?
Sign Up Newsletter
Email Address: