Pickled Beet Stalks

Disclaimer: I am posting this recipe the day after creating it. I have no idea how these pickles will turn out, but I hope it will be delicious! The recipe was born out of a need to free up some space. I usually chop up beet stalks and saute them with the leafy greens, but these stalks were huge. From look of it, beet stalks also pair well with Prosciutto and/or Gorgonzola cheese... neither of which we had in the apartment. But we did have vinegar...

Pickled Beet Stalks/Pickled Beet Tops

• 1 bunch beet tops
• 4 cups vinegar (red wine, cider or white)
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 dried chipotle pepper
• 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, whole

*Amount vary depending on how much beet stalk you have. This was enough for 2 16 oz Ball jars.

1. Sanitize your jars and tops by submersing in boiling water.
2. Wash your beet stalks and trim them so that they are about 3/4 inch shorter than your jars.
3. Bring the vinegar to a boil - add the chipotle pepper and peppercorns. Let simmer, covered while you...
4. Pack the beet stalks into the jars. Tuck in the garlic and onion. Pack it in tight.
5. Pour the vinegar into the jars (good idea to use a funnel!), covering the stalks, but leaving about 1/2 inch space.
6. Put the lids on and close tightly, but not too tightly.
7. Submerge the jars in boiling water to seal. You'll need to leave them in for about 15 minutes. Keep an eye out for when the bubbles stop escaping from the jars.
8. Remove the jars and store in a cool, dark place.
9. About 4 weeks later... enjoy! (Hopefully!)
   

If you try this recipe or have any tips, please email me or add a comment.

Continue Entry»

Share Pickup - Week C

We were traveling last week and unable to get our share from the CSA. Thankfully our friend Ben was able to pick it up and put it to good use - including a sour cherry pie!

The third share was the biggest one yet:

• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 1 head cabbage
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 bunch spinach
• 1 red onion
• 1 white onion
• 1 bunch beets
• 1 bunch radishes
• 1 bunch carrots
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 8 peaches
• 1 1/4 lbs plums
• And of course I picked up my share of eggs - 1/2 dozen
  

The red onion and cilantro came in handy: we had a ripe avocado that Syd the Kyd had tasted and liked, left most of us to us, and so we enjoyed fresh guacamole before dinner.

A good chunck of the share went into salads, much like the salad from Week A. The radishes were bit harsher than before, so I heated up some red wine vinegar with peppercorns, poured it over sliced radishes and let them sit in the fridge overnight. This was a really nice addition to the romaine, carrot and roasted beet salad. Even after partitioning four large salads, there was leftover romaine, carrots and fridge-pickled radishes.

There was one problem with this week's share: size! While this really wasn't a problem, I did have to find some way to get some in the fridge and some preserved, while wasting as little as possible. I had an idea... aside from the cabbage, the biggest amount of space was being taken up by the beet tops. I do enjoy the greens fresh or sauteed in some garlic, but the stalks were especially long. My solution: pickled beet stalks

In a few weeks, I'll know if my idea worked.

Continue Entry»