Matt once said to me that he was debating whether he should take up pickling or focus on bread making. I thought this was hilarious because it didn't seem like an either or decision to me. In the last couple of years, we have eaten a wide range of pickles. In Berkeley, there is a fantastic cultured organic sauerkraut maker. They attend the Berkeley Farmers' Market, which afforded us a chance to try their inspiring flavor combinations. Ready Made Magazine has a piece on pickling and it looks like we aren't they only aspiring picklers.
In other canning or preserving news, I am taking a class on conserves with artisanal jam maker June Taylor. I can't tell you how excited I am! Throughout the summer, I read about jam making. Homesick Texan made it sound both tricky and doable, which fueled my obsession even more. I've come up with a couple of savory options I've been wanting to try, too. So why haven't I done it? The idea of filling and properly sealing jars scares me. I think that the class will cover the basics. I will let you know how it goes and we can post about trying a recipe at home. It dawned on me that we could just use some of my new techniques with our upcoming pickling experiments, too. What a tasty coincidence indeed!
