There is a tendency to preserve food solely to store it for a long time, maybe even so long that you reach the expiration date before it is used, but that should not be the main reason to preserve.

What you preserve is a good substitute for what you buy in the supermarket. When bought, you do not store your pickled cucumbers for half a year before you open the first glass. No, you use the content the same day you buy it. Of course, this does not mean that you eat everything you pickle at once. No, you preserve in small portions, so you can always open a new glass the next time you need to use your preserved food. So do not preserve in large glasses that get air and perhaps impurities into the glass with the risk of shortening the storage time, and where some of the aromas may also evaporate.

Grandma’s raspberries

When you preserve, there is often a good story behind it. What is in the glass will your guests ask? You can of course answer raspberries, but the raspberries taste even better if you tell them that they are from an old bush you inherited from your grandmother's garden. It has been passed down through several generations. Immediately people want a branch, and they will carry the story on. It's like serving a meal where you can see a lot was put into it. Many stories can come from such enlightenment.

 

The good and the bad bacteria

Preserving is an ancient art. It is before the time of the refrigerator and the freezer, where you pickled, salted and preserved so that there was something for the winter. Today where you can buy it all in the supermarket, it is no longer necessary to store anything, but we do it anyway, and especially if you have a garden and want to make chemical-free food yourself, or just prefer to be more or less self-sufficient.

Preservatives and preserving are like symbiosis, but some do not support preservatives. They kill bacteria, but their bactericidal activity does not stop immediately. Some believe that this means that our natural intestinal flora is also broken. Instead, you can choose basic good hygiene. A refrigerator is a must, or what you make must be boiled. Glasses must be cleaned, and rubber or plastic gloves must be used after rinsing what you want to preserve. Even clean-washed hands have bacteria on them.

Preserved radishes

You need:

1 bundle of radishes

½ dl sugar

1 dl apple cider vinegar

1 dl water

1 teaspoon dried mustard seeds

2 bay leaves

 

Start by cutting the top off the radishes. Wash them and cut them into thin slices lengthwise with a very sharp knife or on a mandolin. Put them in a clean glass.

Then boil the other ingredients and cool the layer. Pour the cold pickle over the radishes. Close the glass and refrigerate. They are ready to be used after a few hours, but preferably after a couple of days.