Pickled Knotweed - Garden Journal Beltane 2022
Channel: Mailer's Landing
Date: 2022-05-07

::MWAH!:: - love you, Lazars!

Act I - We Found It In the Yard - Let’s Eat It!
Act II - YARRR - briney!
Act III - Packin’ Pickles, Like Ya Do
Coda - “WHAT EVEN IS THIS?”

Growing, building and cooking in New England, zone 6b

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Mike's a fun guy - check out his Insta @witchinthemidst where the pretty mushrooms and their friends grow
 
_Pickled Knotweed_ 
Notes: As with all foraging, please make sure you’re sure about what you’re picking, because poisonous surprises are The Worst. Mike is a seasoned forager, so we were sure about the knotweed ~.o
*Choose young stalks, less than 12” tall, and about as wide as a nickel - that’s going to be the balance point between not-stringy and can-peel-it-and-still-have-something-to-pickle. 
*For the pickles with lychee vinegar, replace half the apple cider vinegar with lychee vinegar, and cut the sugar by half.

Enough knotweed to fill 3 pint jars (we used pint and a half jars because we had them to hand, jar size is nbd), cut in 3-4” lengths and peeled
1c apple cider vinegar 
1c sugar
1/4c salt
3-4 star anise pods
1/4tsp each: turmeric, whole allspice, whole coriander seed (optional: mustard seeds, peppercorns)

1. Fill your clean jars with knotweed; pack tightly if you don’t want them to float up in the brine. (Alternatively, you could pop a pickle pebble on top.)
2. Toast your spices in a dry pan until fragrant, about a minute on high
3. Prepare your brine: Combine spices and all other ingredients to a cool saucepan. Whisk slowly until sugar is mostly dissolved. Put pan on medium heat and continue to whisk slowly until the brine is simmering and becomes clear.
4. Pour brine into packed jars, covering the knotweed cuttings as much as possible. Shake or upend once a day to mix well. After 24 hours, pickles are ready to eat, but their flavor will evolve over the next 5-10 days.