Sweet Pickles

Sunday afternoon, almost hot out; Stella and Tybalt are starting to assume that Mark Twain pose. And I'm pickling.

In between my mom's overflowing sweet pea beds and the CSA, T and I have been overrun with sweet and snow peas. Remember the ending of Weird Science when the popcorn bursts through the roof of the evil (dean's? president's?) house and threatens to overtake the neighborhood? That's analogous to our pea dilemma. Open our produce drawer and the little green pods jump out in a tumble of wilted lettuce (don't get me started on the lettuce problem) and the dessicated beet tops I genuinely meant to cook three weeks ago. It's getting dangerous down there.

Luckily, I discovered a recipe for pickled sugar snap peas, which I've now applied to snow peas and, today, baby carrots and radishes. For the peas I add tiny hot chilies (you can buy them super cheaply at Indian markets and store them in the freezer) and lots of garlic, while the carrot-radish pickles got some garlic and a few sprigs from the lavender plant. I borrowed the lavender idea from a recent article in the Oregonian's FoodDay section. I have no idea what flavor the lavender will impart to the brine, but the results are so pretty--my lame camera work does not capture how vibrant these jars are--that I'm not sure I care.

I made a jar of sweet pea pickles a few weeks ago, so I can attest to how freaking delicious they are. Tart (and tarter the longer they sit in the brine), sweet, garlicky and hot all at once, these little pickles taste amazing on cheese sandwiches and chopped into tuna salad. I brought the last of the jar to my in-laws last week and Fred ate a few alone, dripping over the sink. He's picky, so I'm taking that as a compliment.

I don't know what to do with the carrot-radish pickles yet. Veggie sandwiches? Bloody Marys? A garnish/side for a meal of sticky rice and teriyaki? What do you suggest?

Sweet Pea Pickles

• 1 LB sugar snap or snow peas
• 1 1/4 C white vinegar
• 1 1/4 C cold water
• 1 T kosher or pickling salt
• 1 T sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• a few whole, hot red chilies or red pepper flakes
• 1 quart jar (sterilize it first) with a lid

1. Put a dry glass jar and lid (separately) into the oven at 300 degrees F for 15 minutes to sterilize. Set aside.
2. Stem and remove the strings from the peas. (I don't remove the strings and have no issues with the pickles' texture, but you may be less lazy than I am.)
3. Heat the vinegar, salt and sugar into a non-reactive pot until the salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from heat and add cold water. Stir and set aside to cool.
4. Pack the sterilized jar with chilies, garlic and peas. Ladle cooled brine over the pickles and seal tightly. Let the jar sit in the fridge for up to two weeks to really pickle up nicely.*

*Note: We actually start eating these within the first few days. The pickling solution grows really intense after about 3 weeks--I like it, but be prepared to pucker--so at that point you might want to pour some out and dilute it with water. (I think that would be alright. I haven't actually verified that idea.)