Pickles and Kojo!

First, I need to apologize for the picture. I needed something quick to throw in here so there you go.

Next I need to apologize for this really weird question I am going to ask- should I turn off the radio before leaving the house tomorrow so the cats do not get all freaked out when they hear me but cannot find me? (We are a radio always on kind of place and always tuned to our local NPR station.)

Now I will tell you why I am apologizing- tomorrow I get to be on The Kojo Nnamdi Show on our local NPR station to talk about pickling. This is really exciting because I listen to Kojo pretty much ever day. He is a big deal here in DC.

I will be on the show with The Slow Cook, Ed Bruske, and Chef Logan Cox from Ripple restaurant. If you do not read Ed’s Blog you should start. I first started following him years ago when I became more interested in food and food issues. Ed is also a Certified Master Gardener which is a sibling of the Certified Master Food Preserver program I completed in July 2010.

I know people are going to ask why we are talking about pickling now instead of at the height of the summer. Well, why not? The only season I find difficult to do a lot of canning in is the spring. Just because the summer ends does not mean food stops growing. I am determined that this will be the winter I finally pickle Brussels Sprouts. Beets seem to have a farmers market resurgence in DC when the weather gets cold and when I just pulled a jar of my special recipe pickled beets to bring to the show I noticed we are on the last 2 jars dated “1/1/11.” I have access to great apples and pears from Black Rock Orchard all through the winter so I can preserve them later in the year and not have to worry about properly root cellar-ing these items because they will do it for me. I would love to have a root cellar but it is not always practical in the city. I also love pickled tongue and that is something I tend not to want to eat in the summer (yes, tongue as in that thing in your mouth). Quince and cranberries are not available in the summer when people are in the canning mindset. The prime citrus growing season is starting now and even though you cannot go to the local farmers market for it in DC, getting a few people together to buy a few cases can make it economical and fast work. (Unless you are slightly insane and compulsive, then you can go for 24 pints in 5 days.) Really, I can go on about this so call in tomorrow, the show airs at 1pm eastern time and there is a button on the page for the show to listen live, and let me!

Did you know you can do canning in a small kitchen? Did you know that you can produce small batches of items? You can also make small batches of pickles to keep in the fridge and eat in a short period of time? What else do you want to know about? What else do you want to try to can or pickle now that you know it is not only a summer activity? What has stopped you from pickling and preserving?