August 1, 2025
Most of Grandma’s recipes date back to the Great Depression, but they go even further. She preserved recipes from her mother, Rose Chambers, born in England in 1878, and from her mother-in-law, Alice Bartlett Sullivan, affectionately known as “Ma Sullivan,” born in Illinois in 1863 and who had ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War. She passed away long before I was born, so I never knew her, but my mother described Ma as having a dry wit. She also apparently had a gift for pickles.
There are more than 50 pickle recipes in Grandma’s collection, some from Ma, some from neighbors. One pattern stands out: the same simple pickling liquid appears again and again: equal parts vinegar and water, a little salt and a bit of sugar. It’s a mild, adaptable brine that works with nearly any vegetable. I swap the sugar for allulose and keep a jar of the solution on my pantry shelf, ready to go. With it, I can quickly pickle any crisp veg that lands in my kitchen.
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