Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Making Tourshi


Traditionally, this is the time of year for pickling local seasonal vegetables. That way, they would be ready just in time for Thanksgiving.

Tourshi is the Armenian word for pickled vegetables, which is also Ashley's company name. Last week, she decided to experiment with various veggies and made about eight jars of Tourshi.

Pickle making has become a lost art. But locavores and foodies everywhere are rediscovering what their grandmothers always did: preserve summer's bounty in brine for the upcoming winter months.

I find it interesting that almost every culture has this tradition.
The Polish have sauerkraut, Koreans have kimchi, and the Indian culture has green mango pickles, or achar.
I remember Mr. A's mother always had Tourshi in the refrigerator to snack on.

Since Ashley has an opportunity to pickle and preserve produce next year while working for a farm in New Mexico, she has been experimenting with different versions and combinations of vegetables in the jars. I particularly like this one. It's a work of art!
She even made a combo that she calls the "Bloody Mary Mix!"

You can pickle just about any vegetable.
The basic Armenian recipe for Tourshi is as follows:

Vegetables:
Cauliflower florets
Cabbage wedges
Carrots, pealed and sliced
Green beans
or any other veggie to your liking

The Brine:
3 quarts of water
1 quart of white vinegar
1 cup kosher salt
2 teaspoons of tumeric

Directions:
Sterilize jars and lids
Prepare vegetables and divide among 4 quart jars with wide mouth lids.
Put one sprig of dill and two cloves of garlic with a tablespoon of pickling spice in each jar.
Add one or more hot peppers if you like your pickles spicy!
Boil water, vinegar, salt and tumeric. Pour into each jar to fill and seal.
Store in a cool, dry place for four weeks.
Or keep in the refrigerator.

Ashley made her own version with white vinegar, water and white wine
She did not add pickling spice, and opted to store her Tourshi in the refrigerator.

You can visit her Tourshi Catering website here, and her blog here.


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14 comments:

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

And in the south we pickle okra and green tomatoes among many other things. I don't, but hubby's sisters do. Instead of wasting the green tomatoes at the end of the season they pickle them. Those pickled veggies look good. I wish may daughter liked to cook. She took after me though.

Kathy said...

I see your using that spectacular new dreamy to die for marble kitchen...and with your daughter in there with you....heaven!

Marigene said...

They are gorgeous...bet they taste delicious, too!

Gerry said...

Almost looks too pretty to eat! I remember my mom "canning" the bounty of our family's vegetable garden when I was growing up. So much work on the hottest days of the year, but the green beans and tomato sauce were always delicious, so much better than from the store. I'm impressed your daughter is taking up the task of preserving vegetables in jars. This has inspired me to try it myself.

Unknown said...

As Kim stated, we are from the south and love pickling veggies...
bread-n-butter pickles, green tomatoes, cha-cha, which is a cabbage mixture, etc. I so miss some of these because my grandma's, recipes went missing when she died. Store bought is never the same! I really want to copy this recipe...it looks delish! Happy Holiday! Hugs

Sheila said...

OMG...amazing.

Bruce said...

Thanks for a great Blog
Christmas joy n spirit

savvycityfarmer said...

it's a BEAUTIFUL sight!!!

have a blessed day with those you love!

miss u as always

a quiet life said...

they look so pretty, i just love anything that uses our bounty :)

wishing you and your family a very happy thanksgiving, its going to be a wet one too, perfect for snuggling in for some good times~

Kathysue said...

Ooooh!! They look so pretty!! Almost too pretty to eat!! I love to keep onion and cucumbers in rice wine vinegar in the fridge, so fresh. Tell Ashley they are just beautiful!!
Happy Tday to you and yours, Mom is here baking apple pie and walnut pie, it smell so good in my kitchen right now, xo Kathysue

Sheila said...

Yummm, I remember having the cauliflour and carrots tourshi growing up. Our must have had some peppers in it because it was hot, but very tasty. I didn't know it was so easy to make. I would love to make homemade tourshi. Thanks for the tip.

Liz@ HomeandGardeningWithLiz said...

They do look enticing! Happy Thanksgiving Delores!

Shenita @ Embellishments by SLR said...

Delores, these look wonderful! I did a similar post last week, using the peppers from our vegetable garden. I enjoy savoring the "fruits of dear hubby's labor", after the growing season is over. I will have to try this, as well. Thanks for sharing! Happy Thanksgiving!

La Dolfina said...

This looks amazing!!!!
We are going to give it a try!!
Thanks for sharing this delicious looking tradition

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