On a Sunday morning in the Mission, a dedicated group gathered at La Cocina to learn the art of making pickles under the guidance of chef Michelle Fuerst. Some participants julienned onions, others sliced cucumbers for "Bread and Butter" pickles while more people were busy washing the grape leaves and dill that would go into the pickle jars.
This was the Yes We Can event that followed an apricot preservation in July, and proceeds the September 22nd tomato canning extravaganza. People could either buy a share to pick up, or purchase a share that involved making the pickles. As it turned out, the DIY experience was much more popular.
Greg Shirai of Oakland dutifully chopped onions and explained that he wanted to learn about pickles, as they were "classic American". Bianca Kaprielian made it in from Oakland that morning for the love of pickles, and her girlfriend, who was also a pickle aficionada. It seems the girlfriend slept in. Kathy Kesinger, who lived in San Francisco, had done a lot of preserving, but not pickles. And she liked the company, "It's more fun to do this in a group," she said.
This is a non-profit project under the umbrella of Live Culture Co. the consulting company founded by Anya Fernald, the force of nature behind the wildly successfully Slow Food Nation event last year. She is launching a response to the accusation that local and sustainable means elitist and unaffordable. She believes that cultivating skills, like canning, sausage making and learning to buy and butcher whole chickens will help people save money and create more connections with their food, friends and family.
She is partnering with La Cocina a non-profit that enables low-income entrepreneurs to launch food businesses and Community Alliance With Family Farmers, a state-wide organization working to build a movement of rural and urban people to foster family-scale agriculture on the upcoming Eat Real Festival August 28th, 29th, and 30th. This is being organized by the Anya's team--many of whom worked on the Slow Food Nation event--and it will be the best of all worlds. Along with the famed food carts, the SF Bay area taco trucks are going local and organic for the day. As the pickling continued, some of the La Cocina entrepreneurs dropped by the test kitchen and helped sustain the participants with tamales, plantain chips, and pickled jalapenos and carrots. It made August 28th seem so far away.
Recipe
Bread and Butter Pickles by Michelle Fuerst
Michelle will be teaching pickle-making at the Urban Peasant on August 24th.
This recipe makes about 5 pints.
3 pounds of pickling cucumbers
1 pound of onions
8T salt
a few handfuls of ice
for the brine:
3 cups of cider vinegar
2 cups of water
1 T mustard seed
1.5 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander seed
1.5 tsp celery seed
7 peppercorns
Slice cucumbers between1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. Cut the onions in half, through the root end, and slice into 1/4 inch pieces. Mix cucumbers, onions and salt with ice and set aside for at least 2 hours.
Combine all ingredients for the brine and bring to a boil. Make sure to stir until the sugar dissolves.
Drain and rinse the cucumber mélange. Pack into clean pint jars. Ladle hot brine over cucumbers, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Cover and screw bands finger tight. Process for ten minutes in a hot water bath.
To make it Spicy! Add a hot pepper to each jar.
Calendar Buzz
The La Cocina Street Food Fest on August 22nd is the sister festival to the upcoming Eat Real Festival. Folsom Street will be shut down to make room for all the vendors.
The Eat Real Festival should not be missed. From August 28th-30th, over 20 Tacos trucks, gourmet food trucks and push carts will gather at Jack London Square. They will be hosting a canning competition and home-canned foods exchange at this year's Eat Real Festival. Buy your tickets in advance for the beer tent featuring IPA's, imperials and cask ales at Eat Real Fest Website
For information on the upcoming Yes We Can (Food) Tomato project visit their website.