Pickled Grapes

[agoodwinsmith]

I need to put this recipe somewhere I can find it again.

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I read about pickled grapes in a book from Lee Valley (https://www.leevalley.com/)[1], but it used tarragon, and I just can’t do tarragon.[2]

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So, I went to the internet, and found more than you can shake a stick at [3] [4], not a one of which even alludes to tarragon. Very good.

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So, then after shopping in the heat and forgetting many things, I checked in my cupboard and did the following:

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Some red and green grapes (seedless)[7]

1+ ½ cups cheap elderly red wine vinegar

½ cup modestly priced balsamic vinegar

1 cup tap water

½ cup brown sugar, more or less packed down

1 teaspoon pickling salt

2 cinnamon sticks

½ tablespoon whole round coriander seeds[5]

½ tablespoon whole black peppercorns

½ tablespoon whole allspice berries

½ tablespoon whole yellow mustard seeds

1 teaspoon whole cloves (scant)

½ teaspoon cardamom seeds, seeds only

1 knob fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into sticks

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Put everything except the grapes into a pot on the stove. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes (or as long as you can stand in this heat). Turn off heat and while the brine cools prepare the grapes.

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Wash grapes. Pull from stems and dry. Slice off just a tidbit from the stem end. Pack in clean, dry jar[6]. Pour brine into the jar, shaking to remove any air pockets, and topping up to the shoulder of the jar. Screw lid on tight and place in fridge.

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These are not properly pickled pickles, so they must be kept in the fridge and used within a few weeks to a month. They need at least 8 hours for the brine to start saturating the grapes, but they will develop more flavour the longer they are kept.

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Because I was impatient, I took all the little grape ends and put them in a bowl with some of the brine. Immediately they were tasty, and we polished them off on top of cream cheese covered crackers. I am now impatient for 8 hours to pass.

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[1] – oooooo Lee Valley oooooo

[2] – using the “if a little is good, a lot is better” principle I overdid it in something in my 20s. Ugh ugh ugh.

[3] – I’m sure there is a good reason for shaking solitary sticks at a limited number of things.

[4] – here are all the ones I adapted from:

http://www.brooklynsalt.com/2014/07/pickled-grapes.html

http://www.theawl.com/2014/10/grape-escapes

https://myhusbandcooks.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/eat-em-up-pickled-grapes/

http://www.lovefromthekitchen.com/2012/08/pickled-grapes.html

https://ericswanderings.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/pickled-grapes/

http://www.foodandnutrition.org/May-June-2015/Pickled-Grapes/

http://www.playinghouseblog.com/2010/04/pickled-grapes-with-cinnamon-and-black.html

http://www.keepapitchinin.org/2015/01/26/pickled-grapes/

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/04/pickled-grapes-with-cinnamon-and-black-pepper/

http://sybilsspoon.blogspot.ca/2014/03/pickled-grapes.html

[5] – whole coriander comes in round and oval.

[6] – I think mine is a one litre.

[7] – I bought more than I thought would fit so that we could eat some fresh.

Comments

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

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[ruthi.livejournal.com]

So, how were the grapes after eight hours?

Om nom nom.

[agoodwinsmith.livejournal.com]

Well, I would cut them in half, rather than faffing around with bits off the stem ends, since the brine has not soaked in very far yet. And, also, the grapes roll off the crackers. :)

So: whole ones for pretty; halves for serious cracker stacking; and possibly taking a few and dicing them small with some of the brine for a relish.

The taste is a mix of the vinegary brine and sweet fresh grape, plus you really want the crisp texture of fresh grapes, so I think any process where heat is applied to the grapes is to be eschewed.