Now that autumn has arrived in Armenia (and elsewhere), it’s time to
prepare pickles!
Fortunately, I have a ‘foodie’ contact in Yerevan, SoniaTashjian who told me so. Sonia sent me very unique recipe from the Artsakh
region called MOSHOV T-TOU, or ‘Mixed Vegetables Pickled with Blackberries’. |
| Mixed Vegetables Pickled with Blackberries (Photo courtesy of Sonia Tashjian) |
Sonia said:
“When autumn comes, everything that remains in the garden
(vegetables, herbs, even watermelon) must be turned into pickles. In some regions,
the grapes are used in the salty water to marinate. Some other regions used
barley grains. In Artsakh, there is an old style of marinating by using unripened
blackberries.”
MOSHOV T-TOU, or ‘Mixed Vegetables Pickled with
Blackberries’
Ingredients:
black peppercorns
bay leaf
1 cup of unripe blackberries
1 celery stalk, chopped
½ kg. of cabbage (approximately 1.1 LB.)
½ kg. of cauliflower (approximately 1.1 LB.)
3 green peppers
3 cucumbers
2 green tomatoes
2 carrots
for 3 liter (about 3 quarts) of water + 200 gr (about 1
cup) of pickling salt + 1 tablespoon of sugar
Preparation:
1. Put the spices, the berries and the chopped celery in
a jar.
2. Chop the vegetables into a desired size and arrange
them in a jar large enough to hold the all of the ingredients.
3. Meanwhile boil the water with salt and sugar until
dissolved. Pour on the vegetables.
4. Store in a dark and cool place. (See Notes below)
Sonia’s Notes:
1. If you want to keep jars of pickles for several months,
three days after the preparation empty the salty water from the jar (into a
pot) and boil it again. Pour the boiled water on the vegetables and close the
cover firmly.
2. If you are going to use it immediately, let it stay at
room temperature for a day or two, until it marinates. (The odor will remind
you & the color of cucumber must change from green into yellowish green),
then put in the refrigerator.
Because in Armenia we prepare it a lot (almost for the
whole winter), on the third day, you must empty the water, bring (the same
water) to the boil, then again pour into the same jar & close firmly. Put
in a cool, dark place to store.
It will keep for 7-10 months.