A few weeks ago, at the family dinner table, my father-in-law dubbed me ‘Ilocano,’ which is the Tagalog (language spoken in the Philippines) word for ‘frugal’. He claims it’s a term of endearment, though Google searches beg to differ. This stemmed from a conversation about my love and constant search for great deals of any kind. Some of my common stomping grounds are eBay, Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, and Target’s clearance sections.
However, my favorite place for deal hunting, above all others, is the clearance gourmet food aisle of TJ Maxx. As a result, my cupboards are full once-used Caribbean jerk chutneys, every seasoning imaginable, unopened herbs, etc that I purchased for pennies on the dollar. While most of these have been used at least once for a single meal that I was jazzed up about at some point, the cupboard has become more or less of a spice graveyard.
That is until now with my newfound hobby: pickling.
A few months ago, completely out of left field, I began craving spicy pickle spears. Khrista claims it’s because I’m pregnant, though I have my doubts. Sadly, I have lost inspiration and interest in cooking since moving out west, but I figured pickling would be a good tip-toe back into the culinary world.
So why pickles? My buddy Big Bryan has been pickling for years and always raved about how easy of a process it was, along with the health benefits of probiotics, fiber, vitamins A, C, and K, and gut health in general. But more than anything, pickling and creating your own brine is highly customizable and rewards oddballs like me with a plethora of decaying spices.
My first run consisted of fresh mini cucumbers cut into spears, a jalapeno for some spice, dill, garlic, allspice, red pepper flakes, equal parts water, apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, white vinegar, and several dashes from the spice graveyard (Kinder’s Thai BBQ being the secret ingredient). I may be biased, but after overnight soaking in a large jar, this yielded the crunchiest, tastiest, freshest pickles I have ever had, and it’s not even close.
So, what’s next? I’m known to overdo things when it comes to my tastebuds, so I will limit myself to only 2/3 pickle runs a month. However, I’m looking into kimchi and vegetable medleys, diving in as soon as this weekend. Though summer is winding down, I encourage you all to give homemade pickles a try for any remaining barbecues or simply a healthy snack at home
