Garden to Table: June Pickled Picnic
Hello again! Lindsay Kluge from Ginger Tonic Botanicals here to share my monthly Garden to Table recipe with Suite One Studio. Let's take a peek inside my early summer garden...
Summer is abundance, with gardens overflowing, vegetables and fruits cascading out of their nutrient rich beds and flowers emerging in all their glory. Everything seems to come in waves in my garden - the squashes and beets and rhubarb and chard all ready to be part of my summer meals all at once. Not being one to waste even a single rhubarb stem, the only way I can seem to manage this onslaught of seasonal abundance is to quickly pickle and save the ripeness and sweetness of these summer veggies and enjoy them later in the season. June is the summer solstice, and what better way to celebrate than with a June Pickled Picnic featuring rhubarb and beets from earlier in the season!
My picnic spreads often consists of not only pickled veggies from my garden, but seedy crackers, local cheeses, edible flowers, honey sweetened pastries, fresh baby snap peas, and fresh herbs like dill and basil from the garden with a freshly made lemon balm tea. Most ingredients can be found at your local summer farmers market or local grocery store. For the setting, mini bowls and ring dishes are perfect for little spreads and crackers. I'm in love with Suite One Studio's Dessert Plates in Chambray Brushstroke for the most beautiful pop of cool blue color. This is an easy and delicious backyard garden picnic for your next summer gathering...to welcome in the summer solstice and give thanks for the abundance of joyful summer gardens!
Pickled Rhubarb
5 large rhubarb stalks (leaves removed)
1 tbsp peppercorns
3 bayleaves
3 dried chili peppers
1 tsp whole cloves
2 sprigs fresh dill
1.5 cups apple cider vinegar
1.5 cups filtered water.
1 cup sugar
Directions:
Chop rhubarb stalks in half or thirds and stand upright in a pickling jar (I used a large wide mouthed pint sized canning jar). Add peppercorns, bayleaves, chili peppers, cloves and dill. In a small sauce pan, bring the apple cider vinegar, water and sugar to a low boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Let simmer about 1 minute. Remove from heat and immediately pour overtop of the rhubarb and other ingredients until completely covered. Afix a right fitting canning lid to close immediately and seal well. Let sit 1-2 minutes until you hear a "pop" of the lid. Place in the refrigerator for 3-15 days.
Pickled Beets
5-6 medium to small beets
1 tbsp peppercorns
1 inch fresh ginger, sliced
1/2 tsp whole cloves
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 bay leaf
1 spring fresh dill
1.5 cups apple cider vinegar
1.5 cup filtered water
1 cup sugar
Directions:
Wash and peel the beets. In a medium pot, add the beets and cover with water. Bring to boil and let simmer about 15-20 minutes - until you can insert a knife easy into the beets. Remove from heat and rinse well. Slice into 12 inch rounds. Place in a large pint sized canning jar along with the ginger, sea salt, cloves, bay leaf, peppercorns and dill. In a small sauce pan, bring the apple cider vinegar, water and sugar to a low boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Let simmer about 1 minute. Remove from heat and immediately pour overtop of the beets and other ingredients until completely covered. Afix a right fitting canning lid to close immediately and seal well. Let sit 1-2 minutes until you hear a "pop" of the lid. Place in the refrigerator for 3-15 days.
