Late summer and early fall is probably my favorite time of year. Cool without being bone-numbingly cold. You still have the summer abundance of veggies, but it’s cool enough to actually use your kitchen. And it’s pickling time. I tend to make several small batches of different pickles instead of a few large batches. Invariably I have to cut a recipe way down to make the amount I want. I’m pretty much the only one in my house who really likes pickles, so there’s no sense in making 8 quart jars in a batch. I also tend to make pickles with whatever I have on hand instead of buying veggies specifically to pickle, so I never have a ton at once.

These pickles were one such case. I love eggplant, but the Miss and the Wife won’t touch it. So I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it when I got a few in my CSA box. After much consideration (and a bit too much procrastination) pickles became the default choice.