You will find pickling in just about every culture going… after all our wily ancestors being ever mindful of their frequently changing circumstances and the need to have some food to hand for the leaner times (like the odd cold winter, a failed harvest or even out and out war with the neighbours), quickly worked out ways for having some scran to hand…
This ancient food-preservation technique used over the millennia uses two basic pickling methods; the first is to use high quality vinegar with a strong acetic acid of above 5%, thus few bacteria can survive.
The other involves soaking food in a salt brine to encourage fermentation. This process encourages the growth of ‘good’ bacteria, which makes food less vulnerable to bacteria that will spoil the food stuff.
But pickling foods does much more than simply preserve food. It can also change the taste and texture in a profusion of interesting and yummy ways.
It’s no surprise that cultures across the globe enjoy such an assortment of pickled foods and at Forest Side we are continuing with this tradition in fine style…
We’ve been busy since the summer creating an array of pickled food to tide us over through the winter months, including some of the usual suspects like alliums, wild garlic, mushrooms, beetroot and carrots, an array of fruits like elderberries, apples, cucumbers and tomatoes, we’ve even preserved nuts including walnuts… if the guys in the garden can grow it or the team can forage it we’ll pickle it…
