As Jon and I walked through the urban wasteland of Gowanus Brooklyn, looking for a disused canning factory, we had to wonder; had we fallen into a Hipster trap?
We’d been promised a rooftop screening of an as yet unreleased indi documentary, preceded by a woman playing songs from her new Kickstarter-funded album, featuring the Zimbabwean thumb piano and a baritone ukulele. No word of a lie.
“This is exactly how I would do it if I wanted to trap a Hipster,†said Jon. “I’d lure them out to the middle of nowhere – it even says on the flyer that this is a disused factory – with the promise of off-beat entertainment. Maybe I’d bait the trap with a Luke’s Lobster roll, some organic, locally sourced, homemade artisanal shaved ice. Bang. Hipster trap.â€
Personally, I’d turn to pickles – sure, some of the vocabulary would be the same; artisanal, organic, homegrown, farmer’s market, locally sourced, handcrafted, homemade.
It’s funny to think that the same words that mean “costs at least 10 bucks, no sweat†in New York also mean, “I grew these in my garden and couldn’t live with my Methodist self to throw them away†in Grandma speak.
Still, Hipster, Grandma or not, there’s something lovely about a Mason Jar full of something you made yourself that makes your sandwiches off the charts delicious.
These pickles keep for about a week in the fridge. If you want to keep them for longer, sterilize the jar properly and seal.
Makes 1 jar (about 1/2 pint)
Half a jar full of strawberries – about 10 (which is about ¼ lb) ¾ – cup apple cider or red or white wine vinegar 2 tsp honey ½ tsp salt 1 tsp black peppercorns 1 stalk rosemary or 1 large piece of orange peel, or 1 large sprig of mint Â- Hull the strawberries and put into a clean jam jar
- Pour the vinegar, honey, salt, peppercorns and rosemary into a small pan and heat gently until the mixture simmers
- Take off the heat and cool
- Pour over the strawberries and seal the jar
- Keep the jar in the fridge and shake one a day for 3 days
- Serve the pickles with bread and cheese, or on ham sandwiches
If You Can Make That You Can Make This
- Change up the flavorings: Orange peel is lovely, and mint is a favorite, but basil is also good, and adding a vanilla pod gives a really delicious almost floral flavor – see what works for you
- Try using pink rather than black peppercorns
- Add a few whole coriander seeds
- Or a sliced red chili
- Switch up the vinegars – try white wine vinegar instead of apple cider, or red wine vinegar
- Or try these rhubarb pickles