Quick Pickles

We finally made our first batch of pickles from one of the recipes that Michelle and Ingrid taught us in our recent pickle class. We started nice and easy with Quick Dill Pickles. The whole process took less than an hour. This really was so so easy and these pickles are fantastic!



Slice the cucumbers and onion and add the garlic, dill and chili.


Add the water, vinegar, spices, salt and sugar to a pan and heat mixture to dissolve the salt and sugar.


Poor the warm mixture over the cucumbers, onions, garlic, dill and chili. When the mixture cools to room temperature, put the cucumbers in jars add the brine and store in the fridge.

This recipe is posted on our website: www.urbanpeasantsf.com

Pickling Class

We had a fantastic time a few weeks ago at our picking class taught by Michelle Fuerst and Ingrid Pankonin and hosted by our friends at Hands On Gourmet.

We started the evening with a charcuterie platter from Boccolone and a glass of wine (or 2) from Dacalier and Fog Hill; two new and very small Napa wineries. (They are only in a few wine shops and a couple of restaurants in the Bay Area but I think their wines are worth looking for.)

We learned how to make Quick Dills, Fermented Dills and Bread and Butter Pickels. As Michelle and Ingrid demonstrated pickling techniques we sampled and snacked along the way.

I left with the confidence and the inspiration to go home and start making homemade pickles!

Ginger Beer

We decided to get ready for the next heat wave and make a batch of ginger beer- with extra jalapenos.




First we peeled and sliced the ginger and sliced the jalapenos.




Then we simmered the jalapenos and ginger in water for 30 minutes.




After 30 minutes and the liquid was fragrant, we strained out the ginger and jalapenos.






We added the lemon juice and malt syrup to the strained mixture.



Then we poured it into the carboy, added the yeast, put on the airlock and let it ferment for a week. When the fermentation stopped we were ready to bottle.



I rinsed the bottles with One Step bottle rinse.



We racked the beer from one carboy to another then added the corn sugar.


Mags kitty was very interested in watching the process.





Then we filled the bottles!



Yea! Ginger beer. It will be ready to drink in a few weeks. The recipe is on our website www.urbanpeasantsf.com under Events.