Pickling workshop

I just attended a pickling workshop in Barry's kitchen with yougrowgirl founder, Gayla Trail. It was fun and enlightening.



A good reason to attend a contemporary workshop on canning is to get up-to-date information on new methods because you really don't want to get it wrong and possibly compromise the life of your friends & family ... let alone jeopardize your own good health! Good idea to purchase books that accommodate changes that have taken place at least during your own latest blue jeans lifetime. As well it is a good thing to compliment your knowledge with information from this side of the ocean since guidelines vary from country to country and you know how far ahead of the world we are here in Toronto (and how far into my cheek my tongue is pressed)! Gayla addressed foods that are in season right now as well and she brought produce the day before from our local farmers market. One favourite book Gayla recommended that isn't seen on the book pile because we're thumbing through it is Well Preserved.



Some of what was brought to the table is growing right now in my own garden (ok so I won't be attempting asparagus anytime soon nor fiddleheads (see below) ... but I think I have a whole array of alliums to pickle) and so I will be able to put some of my knowledge to the test immediately which is quite exciting ... ok ok ... if we can find the time because gardening season is bearing down upon us like a 7am Go Train at full-steam entering Union Station so I don't know about you but (note to self) I really must pick my own clip up as I'm jamming timely information into my noggin enroute and maybe put the books down and stand up and get out.



We had an amazing sampling of recent foods Gayla canned ... lemon rind with fiddleheads (best to blanche them to get all the little brown bits out and to tenderize), green garlic with no sugar - quite an amazing taste - not at all unlike cocktail onions one would find in one of those cocktails from the 50's, asparagus with a little organic sugar to offset the vinegar ... we had some lemon balm with earl grey tea and later had some seltzer water with mojhito mint syrup before heading off to lunch at the Palmerston Cafe(which incidentally has finished renovations) with a stop at the new little shop next to it called Provenance that recently opened beside the restaurant.

Next week Gayla is doing a hands-on container planting workshop and I'll be there with gloves on and pencil in hand scribbling illegible notes again! I'm an experiential learner - no getting around it - I can read and listen to people talk all I want but it's not until I get my paws grubby that things sink into my muscles memories (and I might as well do it alongside someone who actually knows & shows what they are doing).