Marking the Halfway Point

Tomorrow is my third treatment, which means I’m halfway done with chemo.  Boy, that sure went by fast.  For you.

To mark this important milestone, I brought out the crock for a quick fermentation project.  One that will hopefully be ready to eat by the time I come up for air around Saturday.  The goal: half-sour pickles.  You know, the kind you find in really good delis.  Because one kind of pickle in the house isn't enough. 

I’ve always called half-sour pickles saltwater pickles because that’s what they taste like and I never knew their real name.  Turns out they’re just cucumbers fermented briefly in, um, salt water.  So I was right.  Anyway, I’ve never made them before, which means the first time should be the charm and then I’ll spend the next year trying to duplicate it.  That’s fine.  I’ll take whatever successes I can get at this point. 

So that I don’t forget what I did, this is what I did:

6 cukes, scrubbed, ends trimmed
1 head garlic, cloves separated, lightly crushed, peeled
1 serrano chile, stemmed, poked with a fork
10 cups water shaken up with
4 Tbsp. sea salt until dissolved

Pack everything into a crock.  Set a clean plate on top and weigh it down with a clean jug of water or what have you so the brine rises above the plate by an inch or two.  Cover with a cloth and secure with rubber band.  Check each day, Tammy.  Each day or have you learned nothing from past failures?  Skim off any foam/ mold.  After 4-6 days they should be ready to eat.  Transfer to jars, brine and all, and keep in the fridge for up to six weeks.

As always, I’ll keep you informed of the outcome.  They smell delightfully briny at this point.  I can only imagine what I’ll think of that smell in approximately 24 hours.

Comments

[Amy]

Just spent two nights in the hospital with 3YO daughter. Awful. Needless to say, I'm sure you share my sentiments of "I won't miss seeing the doctor for a while."

Halfway point is good. Hang in there!!

[cookiecrumb]

Great milestone. You're a tough cookie.
I love pickles. I hope yours are perfect. Perfect pickles.

[Karen @ Mignardise]

That sounds remarkably easy.
The pickles, not the chemo.
I am moved to try this for myself after I go to the farmer's market tomorrow. So glad your sense of humor hasn't been lost!

[Jessica]

Half-sour pickles are the best. I'm from Korea, and Koreans tend to make sweet pickles, but I've always preferred American style pickles.

CONGRATS on being 50% done with chemo! Your blog is such an inspiration!

[MidLifeMama]

Yippee for more pickles. And for being half done with chemo. And for pickles. I said it before, pickles cure everything.

[pyewacket]

I just made a batch of these, although with dill rather than with chiles. Mine turned out saltier than I wanted, but otherwise fine (except for one which went mushy, I dumped it). Oh, and I had grape leaves, so I added those; they're supposed to keep the pickles crisp. These pickles have those fabulous living probiotic bacteria to keep your intestines happy.

[Lorrie@ReadNEat]

You've kicked one side of chemo's ass, now time for the other!

When I was a kid, scraping the brine was one of my favorite chores in Nana's kitchen. That, and churning butter.

[Tammy]

Lorrie: What in tarnation is scraping the brine?

pyewacket: And, oh, how I need those healthy intestines. I forgot about the grape leaf trick. Thanks for the reminder.

MidLifeMama: Sounds like something Husband would say!

Jessica: Thanks for your comment! If I can perfect a half-sour pickle, then all this chemo will have been worth it.

Karen: Let me know how yours turn out. I used Sandor Ellix Katz and Chris Schlesinger as my guides.

CC: Thanks for that. Not feeling so tough right now.

Amy: Poor Haley. Glad she's on the mend so that you can now recover from the trauma! But what's up with all the great hospital food? We don't have that here.

[Yumi]

Hmmm, I'm in college right now with two eating adventurous (or so they claim) suitemates. I might give this a try sometime, they sound tasty.