“Are there carrots?” asked my friend. The question was not existential. He was coordinating many meals, and wanted to ensure a supply of proper condiments. “Carrots” means pickled carrots and peppers, packed in quart jars with a sweet and salty vinegar brine. Once upon a time, these spicy, crunchy pickles had served as a currency…

It’s mailbag day, when I reach into my virtual mailbag and pull out a few questions from my dear readers, attempting to respond with specific help and resources. Dear Cheapskate: How can I find a good financial counselor? We are not covering our monthly obligations and falling further and further behind. I am a nervous…

Submitted by Kay E. Fisher, Iowa In 1961, newly married Joanne Muller was given her aunt’s treasured family recipe for picnic hamburger cucumber pickles. Several years later, her husband, Paul, substituted his overabundance of carrots for the cucumbers. He scraped them, cut them into 1/4-inch by 4-inch pieces, stood them upright in a quart canning…

It began with my friend, Amy Alkon, gushing about Dietz and Watson brand kosher dill pickles, which she calls “the crowning glory of picklehood.” Alkon is an award-winning, science-based advice columnist and author. On Twitter, she called her D&W’s the “best thing to stress eat … when the writing is going a little hopelessly.” Her…

This refrigerator pickle doesn’t require any canning. Though the pickled tomatoes are technically edible immediately, the flavors meld over time, so I recommend trying your best to wait 2 weeks before devouring. They will continue to get spicier and tastier as they pickle. (Stephanie Thurow) Makes 2 pints 2 pounds green tomatoes, cut into bite-sized…

This time of year, you can often find baskets of pickling cucumbers at your local farmers market. Compared to slicing cucumbers available in supermarkets year-round, this thin-skinned, stubby variety enjoys a relatively short season that lasts only a few weeks. Those few precious weeks of late summer just so happen to coincide with when dill…