Pickles, 3 ways

pickles, 3 ways // a thousand threads
One of the best things about Field + Foundry has been coming up with a fun seasonal menu to serve to everyone. And we’ve made an effort to make as much as we can ourselves, both food and otherwise.

For our first event, in addition to Mark’s pickles, my pasta and pies, and Melissa’s broccoli with pancetta, Mark’s handmade bread sat on top of his hand carved cutting boards, and the tables were set with my hand sewn linen napkins.

For our first event, the only cooked food we sourced was meat from Monk’s Barbeque in Purcellville (and if by chance you’ve ever had Monk’s, you know why) along with, of course, cheeses, charcuterie, beer, and wine from local vendors we love. We had a lot of fun sourcing those things, and Mark spent loads of time taste-testing the best barbeque in the area on his lunch breaks.

I’m sure it was terrible for him.

He also spent a good amount of time sourcing the best local vegetables to preserve for our appetizer table – and I’m so glad he did. The colorful pickles were a hit. So today I thought I’d share our three favorites: pickled beets (which I never thought I’d like, but I love!), spicy carrots, and my personal favorite, dilly beans. All of the recipes were adapted from my very favorite book on the subject, Canning for a New Generation.

pickles, 3 ways // a thousand threads
Pickled Beets
Adapted from Canning for a New Generation

3lbs beets, scrubbed with tops removed
4 cups cider vinegar
¼ cup mild honey
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon whole allspice
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Cook beets in boiling water. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until tender. Drain beets, then cool in ice bath. Rub off skins, trim, quarter, and cut into ¼ inch slices.

Combine other ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add beets and bring just to a simmer.

Transfer beets into sanitized jars, along with some spices, and pour in vinegar mixture. Leave ½ inch of space at the top and seal with sanitized lids.

Place jars in canning pot and boil for 30 minutes to process. Remove to a towel and leave, undisturbed, for 12 hours.

pickles, 3 ways // a thousand threadspickles, 3 ways // a thousand threadspickles, 3 ways // a thousand threads
Dilly Beans
Adapted from Canning for a New Generation

2lbs crisp green beans, ends trimmed, 4 ½ inches long
4 cups cider vinegar
3 tablespoons kosher salt
5 sprigs fresh dill
5 cloves garlic
5 to 10 dried hot red chiles
2 ½ to 5 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

Bring vinegar, 4 cups water, and salt to a boil in a large pot.

Put a sprig of dill, a clove of garlic, 1-2 dried chiles, and ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes in each sanitized jar. Then pack beans into each jar and ladle in hot vinegar mixture. Leave ½ inch of space at the top and seal with sanitized lids.

Place jars in canning pot and boil for 15 minutes to process. Remove to a towel and leave, undisturbed, for 12 hours.

pickles, 3 ways // a thousand threads
Spicy Carrots
Adapted from Canning for a New Generation

2lbs carrots, trimmed and scrubbed
5 ½ cups cider vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
3 bay leaves
8 dried hot chiles, stemmed
4 cloves garlic, sliced
4 sprigs thyme
1-2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
½ small white onion, thinly sliced lengthwise

Cut larger carrots into sticks no more than ½ inch thick. Peel if desired (we didn’t). Cut into 4-inch lengths to fit upright in pint jars and set aside in a bowl of ice water.

Bring vinegar, 1 cup water, salt, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add carrots and cook until just crisp-tender, 8-10 minutes.

Divide chilis, garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes, and peppercorns among sanitized jars. Transfer hot carrots to jars, add onion to empty jar space, and ladle in hot vinegar mixture. Leave ½ inch of space at the top and seal with sanitized lids.

Place jars in canning pot and boil for 15 minutes to process. Remove to a towel and leave, undisturbed, for 12 hours.

Photos by Reema Desai for Field + Foundry

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