Retired chef shows you how to make easy pickles

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - Today in Upper Michigan... it’s beginning to (feel) a lot like Christmas, and it looks like the snow is here to stay: a perfect time to get involved in a book club.

That’s what the hosts of UMT say, anyway.

You can join the first All Booked Up chat at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at The Courtyards bar, 1110 Champion St. Marquette.

Plus... the average price of turkeys has gone up from $1.15 a pound to $1.47 a pound and a Delta County non-profit wants to take the financial stress off of families this Thanksgiving.

Mission of Hope is collecting Turkeys this week for families in need.

If you’d like to donate a turkey to the cause, you can drop it off at the Wellspring Community Church in the Delta Plaza Mall.

If you’d like to receive a turkey, you can fill out the form here.

All Booked UP gets ready for its first chat, Tia reflects on being a suspect in a murder mystery, and Mission of Hope is giving turkeys to families in need.

And... it’s National Pickle Day!

Mary Gervasi, a retired chef with Northern Michigan University, says you don’t have to go through the canning process to get a good gherkin.

Refrigerator pickles take a few minutes to make and are just as tasty and tangy as a traditional canned pickle.

To make one quart of brine, boil:

1 C. water

1 C. apple cider or white vinegar

1 TBSP sugar

1 TBSP salt

Dissolve and let cool.

Gervasi reminds you to use a non-reactive surface, such as a stainless steel pot, to boil your brine mixture.

Retired chef/Tia's grandma shows you how to make refrigerator pickles, which are simpler than traditional canned pickles.

Pickles can be made using garden cucumbers, English cukes, or specified pickling cucumbers- which have a thinner skin and are short and wide.

While that boils, slice 2-4 cucumbers of your choice and place them in a jar, adding

1 bay leaf

1 TBSP mustard seed

1 TSP peppercorn

1 TBSP dry dill OR 1 head of fresh dill

2-3 cloves of garlic

1 jalapeno (optional)

Refrigerator pickles are easier to make than canned pickles and last for up to 3 months.

Let the brine cool for about 5 minutes before funneling over the cucumber-spice mixture.

Refrigerate immediately for up to 3 months.

It’s best to let the pickles sit for 24 hours before eating.

Tia and Elizabeth try the homemade refrigerator pickles they made on National Pickle Day.

You can watch Upper Michigan Today on weekdays at 9:00 a.m. on FOX UP.

Copyright 2022 WLUC. All rights reserved.