The Relish Tray

I see that charcuterie and cheese boards are all the rage this season, and I am reminded of the old Southern tradition of serving a "relish tray" as part of a special occasion meal. Along with deviled eggs, a glass plate with a variety of colorful, crunchy homemade pickles was a regular feature of family holiday dinners when I was growing up.

You can always purchase pickles at the grocery store, but making your own is pretty simple. You can make homemade pickles now, and keep them in the refrigerator until Christmas or New Year's Eve. If you make a batch today, they will even be ready in time for Thanksgiving dinner.

Always select the prettiest, most nearly perfect produce for making pickles. Carefully wash and trim the vegetables and cut them into bite size pieces. Good choices include cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower, celery, asparagus, turnips, squash (summer and winter), beets, parsnips, bell peppers and tomatoes. You can also make pickles out of berries and other fruits, although the procedure is a little different than the one for vegetables.

Wash and rinse a canning jar and place it in a warm oven to stay hot. Combine a cup of water and a cup of white vinegar with a tablespoon of salt in a small saucepan. Set the pan over medium heat, adding your choice of whole spices. Use any combination of mustard seeds, coriander, cloves, cinnamon stick, allspice berries, bay leaves and peppercorns. You need a teaspoon of spices for each pint of pickling liquid. You can also add garlic, hot peppers, and/or dill seeds or a dill head to a jar of pickles. Add them with the vegetables, rather than steeping them in the pickling liquid.

Bring the liquid to a simmer and allow it to bubble gently for 10 minutes while you pack the vegetables and flavorings into the hot jar. Pour the hot liquid over the contents of the jar. Allow it to sit for a moment to release air bubbles, or use a bamboo skewer to free air bubbles from the sides of the jar. Apply and lid and allow the jar to cool to room temperature. Place the jar in the refrigerator and wait a week before enjoying the pickles.

To pickle fruits or tomatoes, allow the pickling liquid to cool before pouring it over the contents of a room temperature jar. This works with whole berries, peeled and seeded tomato quarters, cherries, and stone fruits. Add a teaspoon of sugar to the pickling liquid for added sweetness, if you prefer.

Use an assortment of homemade pickles to create a colorful, traditional relish tray for your holiday table.