Pike Place Market

When you cook seasonally, certain times of year become associated with particular culinary projects. In spring I make multiple batches of olive oil-braised fava beans; the height of summer sees me constructing many an artfully composed caprese salad, and as the days start to shorten I break out the canning jars and start thinking about pickles and jams.

On a recent Wednesday, those thoughts lured me out of my office and onto the cobblestones of Pike Place on a quest for pickling cucumbers. Not easily found at the supermarket, pickling cucumbers make an especially crisp and tasty pickle and since I’d be making my favorite pickle recipe, I wanted the best.

I found what I was looking for at the Marshland Orchards stand, along with pretty much every other type of fruit and vegetable that’s in season now in western Washington. It’s a feast for the eyes just to contemplate the multi-colored peppers, purple and green sorrel, overflowing bins of squash and gorgeous green, yellow and purple beans.

I spoke with Lisa Postema, who oversees the produce Marshland sends out to farmer’s markets. She told me a bit about the farm; it’s located in the Snohomish Valley, a part of Flowerworld, which is a large nursery, founded about 25 years ago. They’ve been growing produce there for 7 years. Lisa explained that they have access to greenhouses through Flowerworld, and that allows them to have a longer growing season than a lot of local growers, so for instance, they’ll have tomatoes well into the fall.

I asked Lisa what produce was at its peak at the moment. They’ve got six varieties of early apples at the stand (including Gravenstein, my favorite), seven varieties of potatoes, romano and wax beans, and both summer and fall squash. Lisa said Marshland will have strawberries through October, thanks to their greenhouses. They can be found at the Pike Place Market on Wednesdays and Fridays during the growing season. They also have a CSA program that you can learn about at www.mpmcsa.org.

Loaded down with 2 lbs. of pickling cukes, four small, sweet onions and six Gravenstein apples that I just couldn’t resist, I made my way home to spend a couple of hours making a batch of bread & butter pickles that we’ll enjoy for months (or maybe only weeks, since it’s hard to keep these around).

These pickles are sweet and crisp, spicy but not hot, and very easy to make. If you don’t want to can them you can store them in the fridge.

Especially Good Bread & Butter Pickles
Yield: 1 quart (recipe can easily be doubled)

4 pickling cucumbers (about 1 lb.), well cleaned
1/2 sweet onion, such as Walla Walla, halved and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. celery seeds
1 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
pinch cayenne pepper
5 whole cloves
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup sugar

1. Cut the ends off of the cucumbers. Cut each cucumber into 1/4-inch rounds. In a large non-reactive bowl, toss the cucumbers and onions with the salt. Cover and refrigerate for two hours. Rinse the cucumbers and onions several times and drain well. Transfer to canning jars.

2. In a small saucepan over high heat, combine the turmeric, celery seeds, mustard seeds, cayenne, cloves, vinegar, and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Boil for 1 minute. Pour the hot brine over the vegetables.

3. Seal the jars and process ten minutes in a boiling water bath.

4. Alternatively, pickles can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month if they are not canned.

- Erika Sweet