Pucker up: Mini pickles pack a punch

Lots of modern pickles have a sweet side to them, but several hundred years ago, when people put cukes into spiced vinegar with some salt and called it a day, pickles had a real bite. A few years ago I heard about a “muddy water” or “riley water” pickle that calls for cucumbers to sit in vinegar and mustard till they can take the varnish off your table. They go well with a baked bean and ham supper. I suspect some of these sharp pickles countered salty meat nicely, just as classic cornichons go well with a deliciously unctuous slab of country pate. Cornichons is French for small, gherkin-size pickles done up with tarragon and white wine vinegar. They are some sharp and good.

They are also a great way to get ahead of two or three hills of cucumbers. Suppose you want to go on vacation, and you know the cukes are going to produce grenades by the time you get back. All you have to do is go out and pick all the little guys – the 11/2 to 2-inch ones-for a batch of cornichons. Or suppose your vines are doing well, but it is going to frost. This is a great way to take advantage of the last few sets. If you don’t grow cucumbers, you will need to make friends with someone who does because the tiny cornichons size cannot be purchased in the store.

Both Ruth Thurston in Machias and Diane O’Brien in Lincolnville, came through with recipes and many thanks to them both. Diane free-wheeled her way through a recipe she found online, substituting as needed, and Ruth turned to the ever useful “Better Than Store-Bought,” written by Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider Colchie in 1979. The recipe here incorporates some of Diane’s substitutions. Witty and Colchie caution us against substituting cheap distilled white vinegar instead of white wine vinegar, because it is harshly flavored and will defeat the purpose of the tarragon and shallots. Diane had only one cup of white wine vinegar, so she added a cup of cider vinegar.

You are supposed to give cornichons about a month to pickle. Diane had impetuously devoured half of hers three days after making them. “They’re delicious,” she said. Well, I’ll let you know in a month about mine!

Looking for…

Speaking of pickles, Kristina King of Rockland would like a good watermelon rind pickle. She recalls one her great aunt used to make and thinks it may be Southern or Midwestern. We might need advice, too, about where to get watermelons with rinds thick enough to peel and pickle!

Send queries or answers to Sandy Oliver, 1061 Main Road, Islesboro 04848. E-mail: tastebuds@prexar.com. For recipes, tell us where they came from. List ingredients, specify number of servings and do not abbreviate measurements. Include name, address and daytime phone number.

Cornichons

About 11/4 pound of pickling cucumbers, 11/2- 2 inches long.

3 tablespoons of pickling salt

4 shallots

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs fresh tarragon (or 1 teaspoon dried)

10 black (or rainbow) peppercorns

2 small dried chile peppers or 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

2 cups white wine vinegar

Wash the cucumbers gently to remove the spines. Mix them with the salt in a bowl and let stand 24 hours. Drain them, and rinse in cold water. Spread the cucumbers between towels and gently pat them dry. Put the shallots, bay leaf, tarragon, peppercorns, red pepper and cucumbers into a sterile one-quart jar. Top the jar off with the white wine vinegar, cover tightly and store in a refrigerator or cool dark cellar for three weeks to a month.