Special Event on the Farm
Pickling Produce Salty, sour pickles from the kitchen garden will bring flavor to the farm family's meals. Help prepare vegetables for pickling as the farm wife shows you how she combines salt, water, and homemade vinegar to preserve her summer crops. For the current year's event schedule, please see our calendar of events. Events may be cancelled due to weather conditions.

Information About Pickling

In the 18th Century pickling was another way to preserve food for the winter months, as well as add flavor to dishes. Pickling was not only for vegetables, either; 18th century cookbooks include receipts (recipes) for everything from pickled sparrows to pickled "marygold" flowers.

How do you pickle something?

Pickled foods are usually made by soaking the food in vinegar, often with some salt and spices added. The farm family uses vinegar that is made from the juice of their apples. Everyone would have had to buy the salt and spices in town, although some of the herbs housewives grew in their gardens could be used in pickling.

Before starting to pickle anything the jars had to be cleaned out very well. Even though 18th century cooks didn't know about germs, they knew that their pickles would spoil sooner if their jars were not clean.

There are several ways to make pickles. Some of the vegetables are soaked in a saltwater brine before they are pickled. Farm wives knew that their brine was strong enough when a fresh egg would float in it. Some of the receipts call to have dry salt sprinkled on the vegetables. Some of them are cooked before they are pickled. Others have boiling hot vinegar poured over them, and some have cold. To seal out the air for long-term storage, a wet pig's bladder or a wet piece of leather is tied over the mouth of the jar. As the bladder and leather dry they shrink, making an airtight seal.

Here is an 18th Century receipt for pickling beets.

Set a pot of spring-water on the fire, when it boils put in your beets and, and let them boil till they are tender; take them out, and with a knife take off all the outside, cut them in pieces according to your fancy; put them in a jar, and cover them with cold vinegar, and tie them down close; when you use the beet take it out of the pickle and cut it into what shapes you like; put it in a little dish with some of the pickle (brine) over it. You may use it for sallads or garnish.

Hannah Glasse, The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy (East Ardsley: S. R. Publishers Limited, 1971) 302