There’s something to be said about people who drop everything to follow a passion. Especially if that passion is making pickles and you’re not an anthropomorphic stork who wears glasses and a funny blue cap. Nick Horman, the man behind the pickle at Horman’s Best Pickles, is one of those people. The company’s slogan of “Think. Question. Pickle.” shows the mentality of this philosophy major. Nick’s desire to bring a critical, philosophical eye to the pickle process results in some of the best damn pickles we have ever had. Those Sweet Cajuns are every bit as good as described - especially on a buttery grilled cheese sandwich. Even Humphrey liked them, and we’re pretty sure dogs don’t normally like acidic food.

As for us Working Class Foodies? Just like most people, we were a little daunted to try pickle-making the first time around. Like many of you, I’m sure, we had the common concerns about processing the jars, storing them properly, the risks of botulism. But with the advice from Nick, our commitment to DIY-or-die food, and the pressure of all the veggies sitting on our counter waiting for the brine, we took a deep breath and dove into the blissfully acidic depths of pickling.

And once we started, we found ourselves quite literally unable to stop. Aside from the pickles that are shown in the episode, we also made: two varieties of quick pickled shallots, one just in vinegar and one in a vinegar-brown mustard brine; spicy sour cucumber spears; dill-pickled string beans; and whole okra with smoked paprika, in honor of another WCFoodies favorite, Rick’s Picks’ Smokra. We haven’t been able to try them all yet – the string beans and the roasted peppers featured in the episode both ferment for 3 weeks – but based on the success of our other pickles, we’ve got a lot to look forward to.

It turns out, pickling is kind of a cinch. Sauerkraut is hands-down the easiest: Wash your cabbage, chop it thin, and toss it with a lot of salt. Pack it in the jar, along with all the liquid it creates, weight it down so it stays in the liquid, and basically forget about it for 6-10 days. Full sours aren’t much harder: make a brine of water and salt (don’t use table salt and don’t use colored sea salt; if you use sea salt or kosher salt instead of pickling salt, you’ll need about 1.5 times as much as the recipe calls for, as pickling salt is denser than sea or kosher. You’ll also have to heat the water and salt to dissolve the crystals, but that’s it.). Pour the brine over your spices and cucumbers in the jar. Weight them down with a brine bag, and forget about them in a cool, dark place for 3 days, then remove them only to skim off any scum that grows on the brine bag or jar rim for another 3-7 days. Screw on a clean new lid, refrigerate, and then enjoy.

And what about processing jars, the method of sealing your pickles and hot brine in the jar by boiling them? That, too, is actually pretty easy. Wash the new lids and soak them in warm water while you pour your brine over your pickles, then screw the lids on, tight enough to seal but not too tight - keep in mind, the jars and their contents will expand in the processing bath. Gently lower your jars into water that’s just under 212ºF (the temp water boils at) and that covers the jars by about an inch, and bring the temp up to 212ºF. Boil the jars for however long your recipe calls for (ours called, generally, for 10 minutes) and then, very carefully, remove them using jarring tongs. Let them cool, then either store your pickles in a cool, dry place or in the fridge, as the recipe specifies. Alternatively, there’s the pasteurization method: instead of submerging your jarred pickles in boiling water for 10 minutes, submerge them in water that’s about 180ºF for 30-40 minutes, as the recipe specifies. This achieves the same effect - sealing the jars and killing off potential ‘bad’ bacteria - but without the boiling, which can - rarely - cause jars to explode.

And if you still find pickling daunting, start with the quick pickle. We’re bummed we had to cut the quickies from the episode because it is one of the easiest and, well, quickest ways to add excitement to a variety of foods. Here’s a breakdown of our favorite quick pickle technique: slice a shallot as thin as you can. Place in a bowl and cover with a good vinegar (we like rice wine or apple cider). Let the pickles sit for 5-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the shallot slices. That’s it. You can add any spices you like to this formula, or sugar to create a sweet-tart pickle, but basically this quick pickle is great because it mellows out the sharpness of raw shallot while adding a nice acidic bite. Beautiful in salads, especially with the leftover vinegar worked into a vinaigrette.

Want more pickling and canning advice? Here are some books and recipes we looked to for inspiration:

• The Joy of Pickling, by Linda Ziedrich
• Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It, by Karen Solomon
• Alton Brown’s Bread & Butter Pickles recipe
• Design*Sponge: Pickling with Sharon Spain