I am the pickle queen!

Who doesn’t love pickles? Crunchy and salty, they satisfy two of the three addictive food cravings (you'll have to go somewhere else if you want sweet). Did you know that you could pickle any fruit or vegetable? Chutneys, sauerkraut, kimchi, carrots, beets, garlic, tomatoes, corn, green beans, even ketchup – the list is endless; you are only limited by the space in your refrigerator.

Have you heard of probiotics? Digestive enzymes? Vitamins? This is what they looked like before the supplement companies got involved. Pickling – also known as lacto-fermentation – preserves digestive enzymes, increases natural probiotics and enhances vitamin absorbability. Pickles can sit in your refrigerator for months and only increase in flavor.

Traditionally, pickles of all kinds have been served as a garnish to meats. Medicinally, they can be used to aid digestion and resolve many gastro-intestinal disorders.

Modern mass-production techniques have changed the nature of pickles and eliminated their health benefits. So if you want to buy the real thing, look for words such as 'lacto-fermented,' 'raw' and 'unpasteurized.' If you find vinegar among the ingredients, the health benefits will have been lost. My favorite place to buy pickles is the Hawthorne Valley Farm stand at the Union Square Greenmarket. They have a huge selection and they'll let you sample. Personally, I live on their kimchi.

If you're adventurous enough to try your hand at pickling, you will find it incredibly easy. Some great books that can help along the way include:

the now infamous Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods  and the good old standby Making Sauerkraut and Pickled Vegetables at Home.