Pickles, chutneys, relishes and ketchups are another way to preserve produce at its prime. They add flavor to meats, curries, cheeses and sandwiches.
The principle is the same: flavoring the fruits/ vegetables/ meats or eggs in vinegar steeped with spices, salt and in some cases sugar.
It is one of the oldest methods of food preservation in the
world, and although in America we usually associate pickles to cucumbers, you can pickle almost any food.
...and speaking of associations, what could be more American than the farmhouse pantry shelves stacked with pickled veggies or the blue-ribbon-pickle-winner at the local church fair? Pickling brings out the best in people: There you are with a few bushels of your prize daikon (or whatever), and your neighbors are in a similar situation with their own prize peppers and onions, you all get together and help each other out. It must have been very comforting in the days before refrigerators and it remains a very satisfying activity for a small self-sufficient farming community.
By using our search engine you'll be able to find the best of pickles, relishes and chutneys handcrafted exclusively with small-farm produce.