Pickle & Preserve

The most popular pickle of the Arab world is turnips turned pink with cherry-colored beet juices. Huge jars of these pickles adorn the streets and decorate the windows and counters of cafés and restaurants. In Egypt the turnips are pickled in brine alone, or with just a little added vinegar. They are ready to eat within 4–6 days and should be eaten within 6 weeks.

In this method, which is considered the most prestigious and gives the best results, no water is used. The lemon juice, which is the pickling liquor, can be reused for further batches.

This takes a little planning but the effort is well worth it. The salmon gravlax takes 5 minutes to put together and about 24 hours to cure in the salt. The flavor is fresh and buttery. Super-fresh fish is a must.

Carrots are my go-to snack. I eat about a pound a day around the kitchen, raw and crunchy. I don't know that my eyesight is any better, but who knows. This pickled version is great on a pickle plate or chopped up on a pork sandwich.

Don't worry—you don't need to buy a suitcaseful of whole ducks. Instead, use Moulard duck breasts. Once cured, slice them very thinly and serve with a salad or garnish with tart blueberry preserves or fig chutney.

Forget the salad. This colorful assortment of vegetables will stay fresh and snappy on the buffet all night long.

Even though peameal has nothing to do with the bacon we know and love, many still refer to it as "Canadian bacon." They call it that in Canada, the place on both sides of Quebec—joking, joking....Part of the history of Montreal is an overdramatized opposition to Toronto. Maybe it's hockey, maybe it's the separatist thing, or maybe it's just a friendly rivalry. Regardless, we love Toronto. It's where our favorite butcher, Stephen Alexander, has his shops (Cumbrae's) and it's the national capital of oyster bars (Rodney's, Oyster Boy, Starfish). It's also home to Kids in the Hall, John Candy, the Black Hoof, and, of course, the Saint Lawrence Market, where you can get a peameal bacon bun with maple mustard. Peameal is not made with peas anymore. Like most aspects of life, ranging from food to plastic, peameal is being taken over by corn. We make our peameal with dried yellow peas crushed in the processor. The purpose of peas or cornmeal is to wick and dry, thus preventing spoilage. You will let the meat brine for a minimum of four full days, ninety-six hours, in the fridge. It is necessary to have a brine injector; they sell them nowadays for under ten bucks in big stores.

Gravlax, typically made with salmon, gets an aromatic twist with grapefruit zest and crushed green peppercorns. Plan to make this at least 3 days ahead to let the fish cure.

Texas is proud of its peaches. They're soft, juicy, floral, and sweet, and the best I've ever tasted. During the season, when you travel through lush Hill Country Texas towns such as Fredericksburg, or Central Texas towns such as Fairfield, you won't be able to go a mile without seeing a roadside stand or pickup truck filled with baskets of this cherished summertime treat. We also have a peach tree at my grandma's North Texas farm, and every July it delivers a bounty of peaches that she'll put up for later in the year. Pickling fruit is a common method of fruit preservation in Texas. Yes, there's vinegar involved, as with other types of pickles. But you also add enough sugar and warm spices to give the fruit a balance of both acidity and sweetness. If you've never tried pickled fruit, you'll be pleasantly surprised. Pickled peaches are perhaps my favorite fruit to preserve, as I love how the peaches' sweet juice combines with the piquant brine. Of course, I've added a bit of heat to my peaches, which is decidedly not traditional, but I find that the habanero's flowery notes go very well with the peaches' floral tones. These go well with a bowl of ice cream, on top of your morning oatmeal, with a freshly baked biscuit, or yes, simply eaten straight out of the jar.

Chef Ashley Christensen serves this jam with cheese and thinly sliced country ham or prosciutto as a sweet-and-salty starter.

Earl Grey tea gives these easy preserves a subtle floral note.

These brined green beans get their snappy flavor from fermentation. Use them to make the Dilly Bean Potato Salad, serve with charcuterie, or use as a Bloody Mary garnish.

These old-school sandwich pickles strike the perfect sweet-sour balance.

A quick pickle is a shortcut to flavor, a little bit of bite and texture in a jar. Never use aluminum bowls or utensils when pickling; the acid reacts to the metal.

If you've never tried drying your own tomatoes, you're missing out. The drying process condenses all the tomato sweetness into a savory and chewy piece of heaven. Those store-bought leathery things are good, but your own will be a million times better. All that olive oil makes canning for long-term storage unsafe, but they're so good they never seem to sit around long enough anyway. I like to eat them piled on toast with a fresh basil leaf and slivers of good Parmesan cheese. You'll find your own way to enjoy them soon enough.