It’s hard to believe that this time last year I was gearing up for the launch of my first cookbook, The Complete Guide to Pickling. The timeline of writing and publishing a book means that I spent September 2020 sitting on my hands, resisting the urge to share my favorite recipes from the book ahead of the sales schedule and Brenda Ahearn’s stunning photos from my side project, The Pickled Picnic recipe collection, before the cookbook’s release.

As the cookbook’s official on-sale and launch party dates approached, I shared a handful of recipes from the book and offered details on some helpful tools I’d discovered while working on the project. This year, I’m able to get a jump on sharing new recipes from the book while many of us are still in the heart of harvest season.

I’m happy to report that the book is selling well, and feedback has been so positive, generous, and supportive. Sales have topped 6,000 copies, and the book ranks within the top 20 of Amazon’s listings for Canning & Preserving books and Vegetable Gardening titles. I’ve been stopped by friends who say they’re seeing the book and its treats crop up as they search locally and online for canning supplies and pickling recipes. I was thrilled to a read review that called The Complete Guide to Pickling “a serious improvement” on The Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich, who inspired me to expand on my love of all things pickled and fermented.

Hopefully you’ve been enjoying the book as much as these buyers. If you already have a copy, it’s time to grab The Pickled Picnic, whose recipes offer creative ways to cook with and serve pickles, salsas, and more. This digital collection, in an easy-to-read PDF format, is available exclusively here. If you don’t yet have a copy of The Complete Guide to Pickling, read on to check out some of its recipes, and then click here to order a copy that I will personally sign, package, and ship to you.

The Complete Guide to Pickling

Last year, I shared a handful of recipes from The Complete Guide to Pickling here on the blog. They give you an idea of what the book’s 125 recipes offer:

• Russian-Inspired Pickled Mushrooms
• Fresh Pears with Lemon
• Chinese-Inspired Brined Beans
• Sweet Vinegar-Pickled Eggs

As I wrote last month, I’ve been continuing to experiment with some of the pickled foods I became hooked on while creating the book’s original recipes. These days, I’m pickling eggs in all sorts of colorful brines and eating pickled pears on sourdough pizza with Homemade Fromage Blanc, Roasted Garlic, and huckleberries.

Pickling Tools

As I was writing The Complete Guide to Pickling, I learned a lot about essential and handy pickling tools—and ways to work around them. In the last year, I’ve been able to share and expand on some of this experience for websites including The Spruce Eats. If you’re interested in canning or fermenting tools, you can read the results of some of my product testing here:

• Canning Tools for Picklers
• Fermenting Tools
• Storing Pickles

Twice as Tasty

With 125 recipes, The Complete Guide to Pickling goes far beyond vegetables and fruit stored in brine. One chapter is dedicated to condiments, including salsas, chutneys, relishes, and hot sauces. The final chapter includes ceviche, pickled eggs, and shrubs. For The Pickled Picnic, I created recipes that use these condiments and pickled foods, from Deviled Pickled Eggs 4 Ways to Briny Gibson, Harissa-Marinated Olives, and Grilled Chipotle Fish with Quick Salsa.

This month, I’ll be sharing even more recipes from the cookbook, along with ideas for using them. Hopefully they’ll inspire you to pickle some of this season’s harvest and savor it in the coming months. Happy pickling!

Click here to order a personally signed, packaged, and shipped copy of The Complete Guide to Pickling directly from me. I share more tasty treats to serve with pickles in The Pickled Picnic, a digital collection in an easy-to-read PDF format. It’s available exclusively through Twice as Tasty.