Last month, I spent an invigorating day making pickles with my friends Jill and Tom, and my new friends Tara, Myra, and Kate (she baked the pie in the final photo; Tara made the lemon curd), using a recipe that’s a family favorite in Tom’s clan. I could’ve sworn I posted photos from the day’s adventures here, but I was mistaken. More importantly, Jill recently posted the recipe for those pickles online, and I wanted to share it. We sampled her 2009 batch on-stage at the Bumbershoot “United States of Americana Road Show, and I swear they really are the best pickles I’ve ever tasted.

On a related note: Since I started making my own, all I taste when I crack open store bought pickles is the alum. Maybe it’s my active imagination, but it’s like some weird PiL outtake: “Metal Pickle.” This recipe does not use alum; the crunchiness comes courtesy of grape leaves.

GARLIC DILL PICKLES

Puyallup’s Duris Cucumber Farm included this recipe in a booklet they published in the early 1960s. The recipe credits Marilyn Roberts, who said it was from an (unnamed) 1886 cookbook.

As the jars age, the heat from the dried pepper can increase substantially, so plan the amount of pepper used according to taste. These pickles are far crisper than any mass-produced version, and well worth the effort of careful canning.

TabbyCat Pickling at the “USA” book bash pop-up shop

I’m thrilled to announce the last-minute addition of local vendor TabbyCat Pickling to the pop-up shop at tomorrow’s United States of Americana book release party at the Sunset Tavern. Proprietors Catherine Brooke-Barrows and Tabitha Thomas-Gadzuk make their pickles and relishes using produce grown at the historic Hamlake Farms dairy farm in Kent, WA where Tabitha resides.

In a nice bit of synchronicity, Tabitha is also the aunt of local roots artist Zoe Muth (of Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers). The TabbyCat ladies have already hosted one event at the farm where Zoe performed, with more to follow.

“The next one will be Nov. 13th,” says Catherine, “wherein we will invite other artisans to showcase and sell their wares in the barn, and I believe Zoe will play again. We are excited to offer our community craftsmen and women an opportunity to network, sell and hopefully create lasting friendships and support for one another’s creative endeavors.” Make sure to introduce yourself to the TabbyCat crew at the party tomorrow.