Heart Beets

So, I've been commissioned to make pickles for my sister's wedding. I'm quite honored, and I want them to be really delicious, but of course I'm nervous for a couple of reasons. I'm doing pickled beets, mangoes, and my blue-ribbon wasabeans. The wedding is in early July. So I really need to get the beets done, like, NOW so that they will have time to mellow in the jars and be super tasty in time. I'm worried I'm cutting the time on those too close. I'm worried that I won't find the right mangoes. I'm worried I won't find local green beans in time. Worry worry worry. And then I have to get all these pickles down to the Caribbean. Yeah. The wedding is in St. Croix. But I have such a great idea for the beets, and I came up with such an amazingly delicious recipe for the mangoes, and wasabeans, come on! Of course I want to serve my pickles to 100 people who haven't tasted them before! These could be 100 people who want to buy Jill Pickles next year. (More on THAT later!)


Anyway my plan for last Saturday was to hit a couple of farmer's markets, recruit a couple of helpers, converge on my mom's kitchen and knock out the beets and mangoes. Then I got word that Frog Bottom Farm would have garlic scapes at the St. Stephen's farmer's market! Change of plans! Not knowing if they'd have them again, I had to jump on them. So I'll be pickling mangoes as soon as I post this... So. Run to St. Stephens to get garlic scapes, grab some breakfast at the Boka Tako truck (I had the breakfast quesadilla. YUM!) But for my grand beet scheme I needed really big beets, like 2" diameter at least, and all the beets there were really cute little baby beets. So I couldn't get my beets there. No sweat, I needed to head out to the Manakin Farmer's Market too, since the guy who sharpens my knives, Mr. Leonard's Sharpening Service was out there that day. He alternates between that market and the St. Stephen's market and he is THE BEST!! Your knives will be sharper than the day you bought them! Seriously, take your knives, scissors, lawn implements, whatever to him. He is awesome. I picked up my first local cherry tomatoes of the season, and some elephant garlic scapes at the Manakin Market (OMG YUM!), but alas, no big beets! Time was ticking away, so I gave up and went to Whole Foods.

SCORE!

These things were bigger than softballs! They were exactly what I needed. I got 12 pounds of them. That was like 10 beets. Seriously. I had to boil them for about 25 minutes just to get the skins off.

Then into about 10 pounds of ice in an ice bath.

The skins came off with relative ease. The ones I left in the ice water the longest were a little more ornery. Eventually I got them all naked. I apologize in advance that some of my pix are blurry... You'll get over it.

Then came the part I really needed my assistants for. This is what makes these the coolest beets ever, and explains the name. And also this is what made this process take about four hours longer than normal pickled beets:

I went to my favorite store, Sur La Table, and got these small heart-shaped cookie cutters. I drafted my boyfriend, my mom, and my business partner (YES! Jill Pickles has a real business parter to do this thing for real!) to be my sweatshop workers and cut hearts out of slices from these monster beets! HEART BEETS! It took forever. It started slow:

But soon we had to switch to a larger bowl.

It was super messy. We all looked like we'd been butchering something horrible.

But there was remarkably little waste.

Soon it was time to make the brine. Spices....

Those went into some cider vinegar. I sterilized the jars, then it was time to pack! I put a little secret something in the bottom of each jar. This is blurry on purpose so you won't know what it is... (riiiiiight...)

Then I packed up the jars nice and tight! I'm totally getting better at that. And even packing them as tightly as I could, I still got NINE PINTS of hearts and 5 pints of scraps (yeah, I pickled the scrap bits. They're still going to be super yummy! I'll just eat those myself. Or give them to friends or something. Those were organic Whole Foods beets. I'm not wasting them!)

The end result:

I can't wait to see the look on people's faces when they see these! How perfect to serve these at a wedding? They're going to be sweet and tangy and gorgeous. I'm very excited about these in so many ways! I'd really like to thank my helpers on this project. I could not have done this batch of beets without you guys!!

So yeah, the beets took all night. I went to bed about 1:00 a.m., and didn't get to the garlic scapes. But they were quick and easy and I did them the next day.... I'll post that blog later this weekend. In the meantime, what do you guys think? Pretty neat, huh?

Pickles are the new Cupcakes!

So much news to share! First, a much delayed update on the State Fair results! As some of you know, I entered my four "best" pickles in the State Fair competition: Watermelon Rind, Beets, Peaches, and (my secret weapon) Wasabeans. I was so nervous and excited when I went to the fair one evening, hoping that they had the winning pickles on display. (I had lucked into a $10 season pass on Facebook, and I used the heck out of that thing!)

So I walked into the Craft Hall, wandered past all the other crafts, the cakes, quilts, and antiques, and came to this:

The wall of pickles. Ok, there were jams and jellies there, too. And some relishes. But I was only interested in finding my pickles and seeing if any of them had ribbons. My nervous excitement was too much to bear! While looking over the pickles my fellow competitors submitted, I did get some really interesting ideas (pickled figs! I bet they go great with Manchego...) But then I found one of mine:

My peaches! With a ribbon!! Third place... I'll take that. I knew I hadn't packed my jars as tightly as I should have. I'd never canned peaches before, and when they were done, there was like 1/3 of the jar just pickle juice, no peaches.... But the flavor was the BOMB! (My secret: a split vanilla bean in the brine!) So I was very, very satisfied to take third state-wide for something I'd only just started doing that summer. This was maybe only my third round of flavor-tweaking.... Third place! I was over the moon! And looking around, I couldn't find the second or first place peaches... I later found out, they didn't award second or first place. So basically, my pickled peaches were the BEST. Yay! Then I found my beets. No ribbon. I wasn't too surprised. I had only made them about 6 weeks before the fair. I knew they were a little too new to be really good. My beets (I think they've now been named Killah Beets, by a very dear friend, and I like the name very much) are awesome, I know the recipe is good (though one batch this year was a bit clove-heavy) but I do know that the beets I submitted to the judges were a little new. If they were to taste them now, it would be a totally different experience. In fact, one of my most fabulous Whole Foods friends had her wife try my beets, and she loved them, and she doesn't even LIKE beets!! How's THAT for a ringing endorsement??

Then, I found my watermelon rinds. No ribbon! That one did disappoint me. I don't understand how they could not love my watermelon rinds. This was another category where they only awarded a third place ribbon. I'd really like to try some other people's pickled watermelon rinds for comparison, maybe get some other ideas. Whatever. I think mine are awesome.

So then I get to the biggest category of them all: Miscellaneous Pickles. Here's where the pickled figs were. The pickled okra and pickled asparagus. Someone had even entered pickled bananas! There were half a dozen third place ribbons, half a dozen seconds as well. And then I see one jar with a blue ribbon. One single entry in all of Miscellaneous Pickles has been given a blue First Place ribbon:

My Wasabeans. MY WASABEANS!! The only first place ribbon in all of Miscellaneous Pickles! In the entire state of Virginia! 2011 State Fair best pickles EVER (in class 7412 Any Other Pickles Not Listed)! That anyone should jump up and down and scream and shout (and cry a little) for their pickles winning in the state fair might be considered silly by some people, but I am not ashamed.

These were my goals for 2011: launch jillpickles.com, start tweaking my pickle recipes into delicious works of art, blog about it, enter them in the State Fair, win a blue ribbon. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

So where does the cupcake thing come in? The next part of that goal statement was "...and then in 2012 I'll start selling them!" Well that's a lot more complicated than it sounds. There are licenses and maybe permits, I need to be making them in a commercial kitchen, not in my apartment. I need to take Jill Pickles from a blog and hobby and turn it into a for real small business. I really believe that people will go crazy for my small batch, artisanal pickles made with love from local produce like they went crazy for cupcakes a couple of years ago. The wheels are in motion for me to actually do this. By summer, I really believe that people I don't know will be able to buy my pickles, and enjoy them, and want more, and that thought gives me chills! Those of you who have been so kind as to taste my pickles and give me feedback, and love and support... thank you. I could not have done this without you, and I will continue to rely on your palates as my dreams of new pickle varieties make it through the beta testing process... next up: spicy cauliflower and carrots, with smoked paprika... I can't stop thinking about it!

One thing to note: The Virginia House of Representatives will soon be voting on HB46, also known as "The Pickle Bill". This will enable home picklers to sell their products out of their homes and at farmers markets with labels that say "not for resale - made in an uninspected kitchen". It was supposed to come up for a vote tomorrow (January 23rd, 2012), but has been pushed back. If you're so inclined, you should call your Representative and encourage them to support HB46 when it does come up for a vote.

Thanks guys!! I'll keep you posted as I try new recipes, and as Jill Pickles becomes more than just a weekend hobby and gift-basket filler!

State Fair submission!

Just a quick note to my friends, fans, and followers... I know it's been a while since I updated. With the summer waning and my favorite pickling produce vanishing, as well as my opportunities for other fun activities increasing, I have been slacking on my pickling. I do apologize! I have at least on more pickling project I'd like to squeeze in before fall really gets going. A special request for a very dear friend. I'll be checking out the farmer's market at the Virginia State Fair this weekend, and hope to pick up some fine produce to pickle there.

And speaking of the State Fair... last Saturday I submitted four of my most favorite pickles to be entries in the the pickle competition! Here's hoping they like my beets, peaches, wasabeans, and watermelon rind! Woooo! You'll definitely be getting an update when I find out the results. In the meantime, if anyone in the RVA wants to go to the fair with me, it opens tomorrow night, and I've got a season pass, so you're all welcome to come with me any time you want!

Thanks for all the love and support this summer, and I've got cases of pickles just waiting to be shared. Let me know if you want to taste some. I'd love to get some input from you all!

Hugs and stuff,
Jill

Super Funky Beets!

First, I have to give major props to the Farm 2 Family Market for hooking me up with a fabulous box of beets at a super price this week! I had asked for half a bushel, but they weren't able to get me that much, and we were all sad, but this was The Universe working in my favor. For real, I could NOT have processed one more beet this weekend. I'm all beeted out. And totally thrilled that I have SO MANY jars of magically delicious pickled beets to show for it! But I really was remiss. I should have taken a picture of the box of beets. It seemed small at first, but each time I looked at it, it was bigger. By Saturday morning, that box was HUGE and I was worried I wasn't going to be able to get them done. I had to do them in two batches, mainly because I don't have a pot big enough to boil 10+ pounds of beets at a time, and my canner only holds 8 pint jars.

So, to begin: scrub your beets, but leave the tops and rootlets on.

Side note: I was very excited to find some itty bitty beets in the bottom of the box. Enough for one jar of whole mini beets, which I'll serve at Thanksgiving. Yay!!

Then you boil them for a bit. Between 10 and 30 minutes, depending on the size. The goal is to cook them just enough so you can slip the skins off after cooling them.

 To cool them (just like peeling peaches) ICE BATH!:

Batch One I totally didn't boil long enough, so it was out with the trusty ceramic peeler again. I really prefer the aesthetics of the skin-slipped beet over the peeler-peeled beet, so I made a note to add 10 minutes to the second batch's boiling time. Not that anyone who opens a jar of these beets and eats them will notice whether they were peeled with a peeler (except maybe the State Fair judges. Yes, I'm getting a little obsessed...) but I'll know. Of course, the peeler takes about 10 seconds per beet, while slipping the skin can be a long and messy process. But, like making good watermelon rind pickles, the time spent is worth it, in my opinion.

After the beets are peeled and the pickling brine is made (secret recipe! email me and I'll give it to you! so not quite secret, I guess....) and your jars and lids are sterilized, slice up your beets into 1/4 slices. You could get one of those fancy wavy slicers. I almost did, but resisted. One of my simplest pleasures in life, something that makes me happy beyond words is beet grain. Like the circles of an old tree, I love the circles in a sliced beet. Joy!

I packed my jars nice and tight, plus my one jar of whole mini beets.

Process per your tested recipe guidelines (my recipe called for 30 minutes in a boiling water bath). Then, ta da!! You have wonderfully canned, beautiful pickled beets!

Total of both days combined: 14 glorious pints! Yay!!! One pint to submit to the State Fair competition. One jar for the Farm 2 Family market in gratitude (also, Suzi gave me a great tip for getting JillPickles on the road to certification. Someday in not too distant future, you guys will be able to actually BUY MY PICKLES! Thanks, Suzi! You're a doll! For you, extra pickles!) 2 jars for the Mendelsons (what can I say, I make my pickles for the people I love the most.) And the rest are all for me! Ha ha ha! None for anyone else! YUM!

The Most Fabulous Watermelon Rind Pickles Ever

I sure am lucky to have such a selective memory, because I always seem to forget how much work watermelon rind pickles are. I only ever remember how much I love them. So when I found out there is actually a category in the State Fair pickle competition specifically for watermelon rinds, I knew that I had to submit mine. Once I win my blue ribbon, I'll gladly share my recipe with you all. It's based on one in the Joy of Pickling book, with some spice alterations of my own that I came up with after experimenting all last summer. I really think this batch I've just finished is really going to knock your socks off!

To begin:

Ask your favorite farmers how thick their watermelons' rinds are. Or if they are growing heirloom watermelons. Heirlooms tend to have thicker rinds. Seedless tend to have thinner rinds. Know your farmers, ask them about their produce. How I found my fabulously thick-rinded melons this year? I asked one farmer if his watermelons had nice thick rinds because I was going to be pickling them, and he said no, but said that that farmer over there, with the red awning, had super thick-rinded ones. How cool is that? So I got:

And scrubbed them good. These were small melons. Smaller than I would have liked. Like tetherball size.

See how nice and thick the rind was?

Commence watermelon deconstruction.

So, yeah, that took about 2 hours. You really have to get every bit of pink off. Lucky for me that cute paring knife is super sharp, and my fantastic ceramic peeler is killer on the tough rind. Also, I had total prune hands when I was done. Watermelons really are all water!

So then, because I'm a big nerd and I really want to win, I took teeny cookie (well, the label said they were for aspic but the thought of aspic makes me shudder...) cutters to about 1/3 of the rinds. These will be specifically for the pickles I submit to the state fair competition. The Victorians used to cut their watermelon rind pickles into fancy shapes, so that's what I'm doing for mine! Of course, that added another couple of hours to the rind prep...

Hearts and moons and stars... and clovers! I expected some kids to chase a Leprechaun through my living room. Then 1/3 of the batch is scraps from the cut-outs, and the last 1/3 is just squares. So after 5 hours of peeling and trimming rinds, into my brining solution they went until the next day...

The brine:

Sunday was rinse and boil day! How exciting! After brining overnight and rinsing thoroughly to get all the salt out, it was time for a brief simmer. I love the results of this phase... so pretty!

Then it's time for the final soak in the pickling liquid. I prepare my dry ingredients....

I'm not telling what's in those spice bags right now... you get the general idea. The general, delicious idea!! Combine those with the vinegar (I'm not saying what type or types I used! This is my blue ribbon recipe here!) and sugar, bring it to a boil, toss in your rind, and then soak it overnight again.

Note that not all recipes are this long and drawn-out.... but I tried out a bunch of different methods last summer and this one was so much better than all the others I really think it's worth the time. If you find a recipe that's shorter and you love it, that's awesome! You make whatever pickles you like the best!

So now it's Monday night and I've just finally pulled my last batch of half-pints out of the canner... Phase III was simply bring the rind up to a simmer in the pickling liquid, simmer until it was translucent, then can it. 

I ended up with 13 half pints! 4 short fancy jars of square-cut rinds, 4 jars of fancy shapes (I'll pick the best to submit for competition, the others will be special gifts or special occasions... Mendelson Brunch, I'm looking at you!) and 5 jars of scrap shapes... those will be gifts for my creative friends! Like looking at clouds... they can find ones that look like a dinosaur riding a bicycle! Or a clown shooting a bow and arrow! Oh, it'll be ever so fun!

The end. Wish me luck at the State Fair! And come with me on October 9th to watch the demolition derby!

Okra Redemption

So last weekend the Okra beat me. But those of you who know me well, know what a sore loser I am. I couldn't leave it like that. While picking up my free gift share of fabulous Agriberry blackberries, blueberries, peaches, nectarines, and donut peaches (I am seriously in fruit heaven!) at the Monument Market, which I hadn't been to before, I found some perfect okra for pickling, and I knew this was my chance for redemption!

No way was this okra going to be too big for the jars! HA! Perfect little bite sized pickled okra. Of course, some were bigger, but these were too good to pass up. So I brought them home and got to work! You don't need the full recap of last week's process, so here's the brief version:

Gather ingredients. Garlic, dill and dill seeds. Also some crushed red peppers.

Wash okra and remove any split pods or otherwise imperfect ones.

Prepare mise en place. Measure spices for each jar and slice garlic, etc.

When jars are sterilized, add spices and dill, pack with okra, add brine, top with sterilized lids.

Hot water bath for 15 minutes. With no mishaps (YAY!) the end result was: 3 fully packed pints and one half-packed pint. These are going to be soooooo much better than last week's! Lisa, I have my eye on the best one of the lot just for you!

High on the endorphins of my okra victory, I decided to try something new:

So all this lovely fruit from Agriberry, coupled with some other events of the season, has had me thinking about freezer jam. I'm not a big jammer, but Grandma's Strawberry Jam is legendary in my family and it's so good because it's a no-cook freezer jam and the fruit doesn't lose any of the fresh berry flavor in a cooking or canning process. So I've been wanting to do a peach freezer jam, and this weekend seemed like as good a time as any. I was hoping for more peaches in my Agriberry share (not a big fan of nectarines), but I'm not one to complain about free fruit, so I picked up some other local peaches, and some of Grandma's secret ingredient for her Strawberry freezer jam: Certo. (Also the tip from Grandma: don't use store bought lemon juice! Squeeze the lemon juice yourself!) So, refer back to Pickled Peaches to see how to peel them, then here's what I did:
Quartered my peeled and pitted peaches.

Mashed 'em up (the recipe said chop them in a Cuisinart, but mashing seemed so much more fun)

Added a ton of sugar, and let sit for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then I added the Certo/lemon juice mix.

Stirred for 3 minutes. There weren't supposed to be any sugar crystals left, but it was totally grainy still, so I stirred for two more minutes and it was good to go. After disinfecting my freezer jam containers...

... and drying them thoroughly, I filled my containers with my jam!

Then they had to sit for 24 hours at room temperature. I've only just moved 4 into the freezer. One into the fridge for personal use, and one is going to a friend this evening for immediate feedback. So there you go! Freezer jam is crazy easy. Make some next time you have 3 cups of fruit you don't know what to do with!