God Is A Pickle: Recipes and Stories for Preserving the Seasons

This is a guide to Czech preserving methods. Idiosyncratic in its attitude and approach—more on that in a moment—it offers techniques and recipes both for preserving and using those preserves, along with profiles of foragers, sap collectors, chefs, jam makers, vinegar makers, gardeners, and cider makers.

About that idiosyncrasy: "In the Czech Republic," we're told, "faith doesn't smell of incense—it smells of apricot preserves. While people in other countries head to church on Sunday mornings, many Czechs prefer to stand in their kitchens, wooden spoon in hand, surrounded by sugar, jars, and a mountain of cucumbers that lasts longer than most beliefs ever do."

Without speaking to the endurance of conviction, we can say that it's easy to be caught up in recipes for making and using all sorts of things we want to try. For example:

• Minted pickled fresh peas
• Spruce tip syrup
• Candied baby pinecones
• Zucchini kraut
• Buchty rolls (yeast leavened and filled with plum butter)
• Powdered dehydrated carrots
• Huspeninia, pork hock and trotter in aspic

We could wish for headnotes explaining the traditions behind some of these preserves or the dishes in which they are used. The "tips" section with most recipes sometimes fills this function, so be sure to check there for some insights.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.