CSA Share Ninja Rescue 2013: pickle roundup (20 ways!)

It is indeed Monday, the day we share the CSA Share Ninja Rescue, a weekly feature in which you tell me on Fridays what veg you got in your CSA share box (or found at the farmers' market) that you don't know what to do with and I'll give you a whole bunch of recipe ideas on the following Monday.

But the feature may look a little different today. I decided to shake things up a little and not focus on specific vegetables but on a technique instead.

So today we're talking preserving: namely, preserving through pickling. 

Pickling is a great way to preserve a lot of the garden's excess bounty to enjoy over the winter months, when your CSA or garden isn't overloading you with delicious, colorful veggies.

Additionally, I tried to include a lot of recipes and posts from some of my favorite bloggers, rather than just recipes from professional chefs and foodie mags (although they are represented as well). Who knows? You might find a new blog to follow!

Lastly, for all of you who are thinking, "Great, Ninj, but I don't can!" or perhaps, "This is lovely, Ninj, but I don't like cucumbers!" -- don't worry, I've got you covered, too. (Come on, would The Ninj leave you hanging?!!!)

Let's get pickling, shall we?

Cucumber Pickles (canned)

• Garlic Dill Pickles from Food in Jars
• Dill Spears from Sherri Brooks Vinton's Put 'Em Up
• Best-Evah Dill Pickles from The Ninj 
• Curry Pickles from Homemade Trade
• Sweet-n-spicy Bread and Butter Pickles from Martha Stewart

Other Pickled Vegetables (canned)

• Pickled Chard Stems from Local Kitchen
• Pickled Garlic Scapes from The Garden of Eating
• Carrot and Daikon Radish Pickle from What Julia Ate
• Pickled Pepper Rings from Sweet Domesticity
• Pickled Rhubarb from Well Preserved

No-Canning-Required Recipes

• Quick Cucumber Pickles from Rachel Ray
• Cider Vinegar Pickled Beets from Food and Wine
• Pickled Radishes from Bon Appetit
• Refrigerator Dilly Beans from The Ninj 
• Pickled Eggs from What Julia Ate
• Fermented Dill Pickles from The Ninj
• Fermented Honey-Garlic Pickles from Well Preserved
• Pickled Carrots from David Lebovitz
• Pickled Green Strawberries from Kitchen Apparel (guesting on Shared Appetite)
• Pickled snow peas from Alana Chernila

Do you have a favorite pickling method or recipe? Leave a comment below: The Ninj wants to know.

CSA Share Ninja Rescue 2013: cucumbers

Happy Monday, friends! Why so happy? Because Monday is the day we share the CSA Share Ninja Rescue, a weekly feature in which you tell me on Fridays what veg you got in your CSA share box (or found at the farmers' market) that you don't know what to do with and I'll give you a whole bunch of recipe ideas on the following Monday.

Not surprisingly, I've been asked to provide some suggestions for using up cucumbers. If you're a gardener, you know how sneaky these guys can be. One day there's a tiny little bud or two on the vine and then -- BAM! -- seemingly overnight you've got a garden full of cucumbers.

I won't bore you this with a gajillion pickle recipes, either: we've pretty much covered that in other posts, so be sure to check out The Pickling Ninjipedia for all the pickling ideas you could ever want.

And, let's face it, you're probably already weary of the raw cucumber salad, right? No worries: The Ninj has got 10 delicious, salad-free ways to enjoy your cucumbers this year:

• Asian pork burgers with quick pickled cucumbers: A great alternative to beef or turkey burgers -- and the easy, spicy pickles give it an awesome kick
• Cucumber and avocado chowder with shrimp: A cold soup from Mark Bittman that's hearty enough to be a summertime meal
• Gazpacho: Perhaps the most tried-and-true method for using up all your tomatoey, cucumbery bounty
• Refrigerator pickles: My go-to quick pickle recipe -- it's crazy how many jars of these I make every summer
• Tzatziki: This Greek cucumber-yogurt dip is a cool condiment for grilled meat (think turkey burgers) but also delicious with pita chips as a simple snack
• Cucumber nut bread: Akin to zucchini bread but uses shredded cukes instead
• Cucumber-melon salsa: Lovely paired with fish or chicken
• Cucumber-mint ice cream: Come on, you know you've just gotta try this!
• Cucumber-lime aqua fresca: A gorgeous and refreshing summer sipper
• Cucumber gimlet: The Ninj can always find a way to turn veggies into a cocktail

What's your favorite way to use cucumbers? The Ninj wants to know.

CSA Share Ninja Rescue 2013: green beans

It's Monday once again -- the day we share the CSA Share Ninja Rescue, a weekly feature in which you tell me on Fridays what veg you got in your CSA share box (or found at the farmers' market) that you don't know what to do with and I'll give you a whole bunch of recipe ideas on the following Monday.

While I am still desperately waiting for tomatoes to start flooding the farmers' markets, beans are more than plentiful. Speaking from experience, there are only so many times your family will tolerate dinner with a side of steamed green beans before crying uncle. So this week we've got some fun and creative ways to use 'em up.

• Peach and green bean pasta: A seemingly odd combination but a wonderful summery dish -- trust me!
• Dilly beans: Pickle 'em quickly in the fridge, pop 'em in a Bloody Mary
• Green bean slaw: I love this as a side -- can't wait to try it on an egg sandwich (as shown)
• Tomato-green bean salad with shallot dressing: Great summer side, turn it into a main dish salad with a little chicken
• Green bean fries: These are fries you won't feel guilty about having with a big juicy burger
• Paprika shrimp and green bean saute: Zesty, with a hint of Mediterranean flavor
• Green beans with salumi vinaigrette: Veg meat charcuterie? I'm all in.
• Thai green curry with sweet potato, green beans and chicken: An easy weeknight Thai dinner

What did you get in your CSA box or pick up at the farmers' market this week? The Ninj wants to know.

Asian pork burgers with quick pickled cucumbers

There's been a lot of talk about veg around here lately, so I thought I probably owed you a nice, meaty post.

So of course I shall focus on pork (not quite bacon, but damned close).

I've been trying out some pork burger recipes over the past few months, looking for some alternatives to straight-up beef burgers -- although there is nothing wrong with a nice, locally raised grass-fed beef burger, my friends, nothing at all.

I came across a recipe for "triple pork burgers" in a recent issue of Food and Wine. Triple pork? You know The Ninj's interest was piqued. And it also included cabbage. Yep, cabbage -- in the burger. Very stealthy indeed.

But, as is often the case, I felt the recipe was way too involved and included some spice that would require a special trip to an ethnic grocery store in another town.

Not happening.

Not to mention that "triple pork" was misleading: that simply meant three burgers per bun. Come on: sometimes more pork is simply too much pork. (Can you believe I just wrote that?) 

So, being all stealthy like I am, I gave the recipe a ninja-style modification to make it more realistic, less unhealthy and faster to prepare.

How to make all kinds of pickles (or, the Pickling Ninjipedia)

Pickled golden beets

I'm taking a little bit of a different approach to my entry this month for Grow It Cook It Can It's Cook It! 2012 challenge. (If you've been playing along at home, you know that we have already tackled pasta, bread, butter, cheese, lactofermented veg, jam and canned fruit -- wow, that's a lot, isn't it?!)

You see, the challenge for this month is to make pickles.

If you are a regular reader of The Ninj, you know this is like saying, "This month's challenge is to breath."

I'm a pickle junkie and feel I have already given you more than your fair share of pickle musings this year. So I didn't want to subject everyone to simply one more post on how to make pickles.

Therefore, perhaps cheatingly, for the Challenge, I'm giving you a sampling post: that is, I'm summarizing my pickling escapades all in one place. Let's call it the Ninjipedia of pickling.

(Oh man, I supah like that one!)

Pickles, pickles, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

Dilly beans: a recipe

Make quick and easy dilly beans right in the refrigerator -- no canning skills required!

Dilly beans

Being able to write this post makes me very happy.

Why?

Because this year was my first time planting beans in the garden ... and they grew, without any bug or disease drama.

And they didn't just grow; they grew well and prolifically -- prolifically enough for me to start searching around for new and different (to me) ways to use and preserve green beans.

I know I've had gardening success when I bring my harvest into the house and Mr. Ninj says, "They look just like the ones you buy in the grocery store!"

(I'm also pretty proud of the fact that my bean trellis is actually a repurposed garden arbor that had to be removed to make way for the new barn. I love re-using and recycling!)

Pickled radishes: make and use

Pickled radish and avocado bruschetta

I have posted about pickled radishes before but this is different.

These are MY radishes.

That is, I grew these radishes in my garden. From seed I sowed directly into the ground.

This may not sound like a big deal to you but it actually is. You see, I'm still a gardening novice and, given the super-short summer growing season here in Vermont, I start all my garden plants inside during the late winter and then transplant them into the garden.

Frankly, I'm a little gun-shy about direct sowing.

Two years ago, I tried direct sowing carrot seeds -- and got nothing.

Last year, I tried turnips -- and got nothing.

So I held out very little hope for the radish seeds I planted this year when I transplanted all my seedlings.

BUT LOOK! IT WORKED!

Lactofermented dill pickles and homemade remoulade

Celery remoulade, made with lactofermented dill pickles

Time for another adventure in cooking as part of Grow It Cook It Can It's Cook It! 2012 challenge.

(I am seriously loving this year-long challenge. It's like having fun, creative homework for Home Ec class or something. So far we have made pasta, bread, butter and cheese.)

May's topic? Lactofermentation.

This one was a bit trickier for me. Why? Well, first because I had to research what the hell lactofermentation even means.

In a nutshell, it's an old, natural process by which veggies are fermented using salty brine.

OK, it's essentially rotting, but it's good, yummy, controlled rotting, not like the kind of "fermentation" that happens in the bottom of my crisper drawer when I forget about a bunch of cilantro. The addition of the brine means that the veggies produce lactic acid that will kill off the bad bacteria and prevent complete putrefication.

(Wow, I'm making this sound very unappetizing. Sorry. Keep reading, it gets much more delicious.)

CSA Share Ninja Rescue: hakurei turnips and sunchokes

I made yummy ice cream with these first-of-the-season strawberries!

Veggies are slowly coming into season here in Vermont but a bit more quickly in other areas of the country, based on reader requests and comments.

I have reached out to the CSA programs in my area to let them know about this feature, so they can share it with their members. If you're in a CSA and finding this "service" helpful, please feel free to do the same!

This week, we're talking turnips and sunchokes.

Hakurei Turnips

Smaller and with a more delicate flavor than standard turnips, Hakurei turnips were developed in Japan in the mid-twentieth century. Word on the street is that you don't even have to peel these little cuties (heck, one of the recipe authors called them "the Hello Kitty of turnips").

Pickles: three recipes

UPDATE: I'm thrilled to announce that my recipe for zucchini chips co-won the Can You Can It? preserving contest hosted by Eve at The Garden of Eating. Thanks to all the Ninj's followers who voted! I'm looking forward to tackling some new preserving projects from my prize, Put 'em Up!: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook, from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling

Three kinds of pickles

Three for the price of one today.

Let's get busy before the cucumbers and zucchini are gone for another year:

1. Best-Ever Dill Pickles
The first one, I will admit, is really just a repeat of last year's pickles.

However, they were my first foray into pickling and were billed by BHG as "Best-Ever Dill Pickles", so the recipe bears repeating. They were truly some of the best dill pickles I've tasted, so I'd encourage you to give them a try.

Recipe: Best-Ever Dill Pickles

Quick pickled veg: recipes

Pickled beets and radishes

According to the August issue of Bon Appetit that I just received, you should make some pickles because (and I quote)

Everybody's Doing It!

Yep, surely that's a good enough reason to do anything, right?

Regardless, pickling can be easy, especially if you're making a quick pickle, rather than a preserved pickle (which is still easy but takes more time).

So while waiting for the bumper crop of cucumbers to start pouring in so I can once again put up a whole crapload of Best-Evah Dill Pickles, I tried a few different quick pickle recipes this week, using vegetables that are probably showing up in your CSA share right about now.