Improving myself.

Louisa, my cousin Jason and I took a pickling class at Murray's Cheese a couple of weeks ago, and it was awesome! The class was led by the lovely and patient Bob McClure (Of McClure's Pickles, of course!), who put up with all of our inane questions, most of which went something like, "If I do XYZ, will I poison myself by way of pickled goodness?"

A lot of the technique focused on canning, as opposed to pickling itself, but since canning has always scared the bejesus out of me (see above question), I found that pretty helpful. I'm willing to mess about with flavoring and ingredients, but I like to know how to do it without risking botulism, you know?

(One cardinal rule: always follow the brine proportions in the recipe. They're there for a reason. Muck about with spices and herbs as much as you like, but keep the ratio of salt to water to vinegar, mmmkay?)

We made cauliflower pickles (garnished liberally with bell peppers and cucumbers), but I haven't tasted mine yet. (Or Louisa's, which she left here for my snacking enjoyment.) I promise a full update - and recipe - when I do.