Pickled Pink

Sweethaven pickles made by me and plentiful wild Mayne Island Himalayan blackberries Aug. 2013

It is that pickle time of year. The garden planted in the first two weeks we arrived at Sweethaven is starting to yield buckets. Salads have been eaten for awhile but now the serious stuff is appearing and the trees are fruiting. The wild blackberries and rose hips are also nagging at me.

First up in the sparkling and sterile kitchen is nettle and garlic scape pesto with walnuts. Next is nettle soups and blackberry leaf tea. Some rose hips are strung and the newly ripening ones will be turned to jam. Today fennel pickles and fennel oil were produced. The jars are full of curried pickled eggs and a spicy daikon Japanese cucumber pickle with ginger for sushi. Tonight I am making rosemary oil for my potatoes and trying spicy Italian pickled beans.Tomorrow morning I am going to try to make chutney with the newly ripened Asian pears if I am lucky enough to have energy.

I am a zealot. It is my most favourite addiction. Making pickles and jams and chutneys. A little at a time fills the pantry.

Bren brought his close friends Katherine and Lenore this weekend. Lenore studies the geography of food and is a "food security" expert. She is involved with the Vancouver Farmer's Market. All weekend we talked about and ate food. Together they hit every farm stand, restaurant and store on Mayne Island. They visited the Mayne Island Farmer's Market. And we got enough of the proceeds to eat like Royalty.

Do a Google on Dr. Lenore Newman or check out her blog sandandfeathers.wordpress.com She is a great read on Canadian cuisine and a genuinely lovely person.

Good food means good textiles. But right now it is good food first.

Tomorrow back to Vancouver for cancer treatment. It all changed on Friday so I will have to wait to see how this one works.