The Kitchen Follies

Previously written for newspaper publication
 
I have no idea what came over me this year. I am not sure if it’s being married and having a family to nurture or my advancing years, but suddenly I grew nostalgic for the jams, jellies, sauces, pickles, and chutneys that my mother used to make. And as a result, my kitchen counters are suddenly crammed with jars and freezer bags, and lids wedged in everywhere. Jar rings and cheesecloth bags are hanging from the cabinets. The stove is covered with big pots of things stewing, and floors jammed with crocks fermenting and pickling. In fact, it has reached the point where the only space left is the narrow path leading from stove to sink to cat food bowl to fridge. 
 
It all started when my sister called to get the recipe for my mom’s favorite pickles. My sister who has never, ever, except under motherly duress, made any attempt to do anything so domestic or old fashioned as canning or pickling. My sister, who, despite many, many, culinary failures, still claims that anything can be made as long as you have a picture—my sister, that doesn’t own a large soup pot and has never seen a pickle crock except at an auction. Anyway, having ponied up the recipe, I then received the daily phone calls regarding the progress of said pickles. “What are pickling spices?” “Where do you get them and is there a recipe for the spice mix?”  “The recipe says boiling water, what does that mean?” (You can tell this recipe doesn’t have a picture.)   
 
But, after four days of soaking and draining, followed by cooking, boiling with pickling spices, and then the dreaded canning process, I did finally get the triumphant call. Success measured in twenty-one sealed pints of pickles “that taste just like Mom’s! Well almost. Are you sure there’s no picture?”    
 
Anyway, that set me off. If that sister can manage to pickle and can (and without pictures), then I have absolutely no excuse. I started with pesto, oh so easy, with fresh garlic, fresh basil leaves, olive oil, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese dumped into a food processor until it looks right and then plopped into ice cube trays to freeze. Then transferred to freezer bags for longer term storage in my freezer, ready to slide into soups, on pasta, mixed into tomato salads, into my eggs, anywhere basil, garlic, and parmesan would be tasty, in nice, easy to use chunks. And the basil pesto was so nice that I also made sage pesto, parsley pesto, and rosemary pesto (I had lots of garlic to use up). And then fermented the leftover garlic for pickles too.   
 
And since I still had herbs left from the pestos, I also had to make a round of vinegars. My favorite is basil, but I also made dill, chive, rosemary, mint, oregano, and thyme. I put some herbs into a clean jar and then fill the jar with white vinegar. Cover it with a lid and hide them in the cabinet for several weeks. And voila! Ready to use in salad vinaigrettes, as meat condiments, basil vinegar on pork or dill vinegar on salmon is unbeatable, or mixed into blended salads like chicken, pasta, or potato. 
 
Next, I decided to tackle one of the harder ones. My mother’s pear chutney was gourmet quality. I didn’t have pears, but plenty of peaches and her notes said it would work for those too. So, an afternoon of peeling and chopping peaches and onions, which were then stewed with vinegar, raisins, and sugar, presented a certainly passable version. 
 
And, then the corn relish. Chopped corn, carrots, onions, and peppers pickled together make a wonderful relish for corned beef or turkey.
 
And after that I started on the applesauce, the apple butter, pickled beans, horseradish sauce, cucumber pickles, blackberry liquor, tomato relish, and of course pickled peppers for the husband, and I love pickled beets, and my other sister really likes pickled peaches, and I always wanted to make sauerkraut and, well, I’m sure now you understand what happened to my kitchen. Maybe next year I’ll learn how to make cheese. I wonder if those recipes have pictures?