For many people, the passing of Halloween signals that it is time to start fretting about the gift-giving season. For the offal lover on your list, consider this: pickled offal and animal parts. Nothing says, "I care for you. You are a special, appreciated person in my life," like a jar of pickled feet, and if you've gone through the trouble of pickling the parts yourself, all the better. More

Quick pickles are one of the easiest, set-and-forget foods to make. And if, like me, you'll eat yours within a few days, you can make your own at home in a regular jar, with no special canning equipment or process required, on the spot. If you've got cucumbers and a few pantry staples—vinegar, sugar (or some form of it, like honey), salt and a few spices—and, better yet, 24 hours, you're in pickle business. More

Though pickling, freeze-drying, smoking, and other forms of food preservation were a way of survival before, now they've become more of fun, crafty projects. The kitchen has become a workshop space for food lovers to produce artisanal, hand-labeled creations. But how much do you really know about the work that goes into it? More

[Image: lucylou.livejournal.com] Why are pickle recipe comics so great? Because they tell you to "stabbity-stab" cucumbers and warn you of "specs-fogging steam" when boiling a big pot of pickling spices. Lucy Knisley drew this after whipping up her own batch of full-sour pickles for the first time. The recipe requires pickles to lounge in their pickly juices for 24 to 36 hours, during which you are encouraged to talk to them ("C'mon! Be pickles!") according to step seven. [via notmartha.org] Related Are Pickles a Burger Condiment? Where To Find Fried Pickles on the East Coast Pickle Juice [Talk] The Year of the Pickle, and Other Jewish Food Astrology... More

Pickles have come a long way from those old bread-and-butter chips in the back of your fridge. In New York City, there's a new breed of craftsmen thriving on the old tradition of pickling. Equipped with solid roots and reverence for the versatile snack, three picklers are creating bold twists on old recipes and find themselves crossing cultures and ingredients to whole new levels. More