Regular vs. HOT Carrots

I realized that there's something important about me that you should know: I'm not a spicy person. Mild Chicken wings used to set my mouth on fire (the only reason that this is no longer true is that I don't eat them anymore. I'm a honey garlic chicken wing girl.) So the moral of the story is that I get along with spicy foods about as well as baking soda gets along with vinegar: it explodes.

But then my problem is that it’s difficult to find things with a good flavour. Most foods, especially vegetables, are either boiled and bland or grilled and spicy. So I’m looking for a perfect combination of the two. Carrots have always been my favourite snacking veggie, and if you ask my parents then they'll pull out their favourite stories with me involving diapers and carrots. While they are still yummy, I have gotten kind of bored snacking on the same food for over a decade. And there started my search for the perfect snacking vegetable.

For some reason, I thought that the HOT Pickled Carrots might be just what I’m looking for. There’s only one small piece of pepper in with all of those carrots, so this seemed to be a reasonable assumption, wouldn’t you think?

Well, I thought wrong. I took a bite of one of these hot carrots, and as I start chewing, I'm thinking that it's not so bad. There's a bit of a zing, but it still has the taste and texture of a normal carrot. I'm not a fan of mushy cooked carrots, so the crunchy texture was just perfect. But then one second passes, and another, and I realize that I'm losing feeling in my tongue! I thought it was a carrot, but it tasted like I was taking a bite straight out of a pepper! I took me three glasses of water and a banana to be able to taste again. But I still can't taste normally. And let me tell you, cupcakes do not go well with a spicy after taste!

Then I brought the hot carrots to a friend to see what he thought. And he loved them! Said that the spiciness was exactly what he loved, but could never find. Of course I think he's a bit crazy, but by the time I got back from getting a drink, the entire jar was empty. So the HOT carrots gets three thumbs up from him (he “borrowed” one of my hands) and a burnt tongue from me.

Well, I did enjoy the taste of the carrots before the pepper kicked in, so I figured I'd give the regular variety (without the jalapenos!) a try. And lo and behold, I found exactly what I was looking for. A nice crunch when I bit into it, soft to chew, and it tasted like a delicious carrot with a dash of extra flavour that made it better than the regular variety, and I could still feel my tongue after (which is an extra bonus). Ladies and Gentleman, I found my new favourite snack food! I give it four thumbs up!

Have you tried the pickled carrots? Who do you agree with? Am I right in saying that the most delicious one is the regular variety, or is my friend right in saying that the HOT carrots are the best? What do you think?

~Summer Pickle Blogger

Introducing Me

Hello everyone. I just wanted to introduce myself; I am the summer intern here at Sunshine Farms. It's my job to renovate our website to make sure that it gets across the feeling and impressions that we want. Because we're all about delicious pickles (and other pickled vegetables!), all natural organic products, and family to enjoy them with, we want our website to show that. So if you have any ideas, if there's anything you'd like to see on our website, or you just want to share your opinion on any of it, feel free to let me know! You can always leave a comment on the website, comment here on the blog, or send an email to info@picklesplease.ca. For those of you who haven't checked it out yet, the website is www.picklesplease.ca.

I'm also in charge of updating all of the social networking sites while I'm here. When you're checking out this blog, or our facebook or twitter, I'm the one you'll be hearing from. This frees up all our farmers so they can farm, and lets the picklers concentrate on pickling, while still making sure you stay up to date. So again, if there's anything you'd like to see, give me a shout!

Being here at sunshine farms has really opened up my eye to the pickled world. I had heard of dill pickles, and Sweet baby pickles, but Bread and Butter Pickles, Pickles Asparagus, Pickled Beets, Pickles carrots! I had no idea that any of them even existed, let alone that there was a “Zesty” version! So while I'm here, I'll be leading you through all of the different products as I give them a try, and as I feed my favourites (or just the extra spicy ones!) to my friends and family.

~ Summer Pickle Blogger

New Recipe to Try

Fabulous Fried Pickled Beans!



Batter:
1/2 cup flour*
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1/4 cup beer*
3 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 tbsp cayenne pepper*
1 teaspoon salt
1 tbsp paprika**
1 tbsp black pepper

Dip pickled beans in batter and fry in oil until the pickle slices float to the top.

Holiday Contest!

Hey all you pickles lovers! Holiday contest for everyone: Post your favorite recipe (using a pickled something) and the winner will be the proud owner of a holiday gift basket!

Recipes

Here are some recipes I came across on allrecipies.com (canada)! Give them a try and let us know how they worked out!

Springtime Asparagus and Parmesan Sandwich

Ingredients

1 bunch asparagus spears, trimmed and cut in half
1/3 cup water
12 slices French bread
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
12 Bibb lettuce leaves
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions

Place the asparagus and 1/3 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave on High 1 minute, or just until tender. Rinse under cold water, and blot dry with paper towels.
Spread 1 side of 6 bread slices with 1/4 teaspoon butter and about 1 tablespoon mayonnaise each. Layer with asparagus, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Place lettuce over the asparagus, season with pepper, and top with remaining 6 bread slices to form 6 sandwiches. Slice on a diagonal; this is a sandwich that exudes spring !

Fabulous Fried Pickled Beans!

Batter:
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1/4 cup beer
3 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp black pepper

Dip pickled beans in batter and fry in oil until the pickle slices float to the top.

Crispy Prosciutto Wrapped Pickled Asparagus

Wrap one slice of prosciutto around each asparagus spear, starting at the bottom, and spiraling up to the tip. Place the wrapped spears on the prepared baking sheet. (Adding cream cheese before wrapping the spear adds extra flavour!
*Bake for 5 minutes in the preheated oven (450) on olive oil lined sheet. Shake baking sheet and return to the oven for another 5 minutes, or until asparagus is tender, and prosciutto is crisp. Serve immediately.