In a pickle

When I was a kid, my Dad always had a jar of pickled onion in the fridge. And not the tiny sweet pearl onions... these were large (golf ball size) onions, yellow and on the sour side. They were made by Laings - but for some reason, we can't seem to find them anymore.

A few months back, I found a recipe to make them. So I found some small onions and made him a little jar to test. While they weren't quite the same as the Laings, he said they were quite delicious. So i set out on a mission to make a full batch (he's another December baby, so I figured they'd be a good birthday present).

But finding a large amount at a good price, proved to be difficult. The local grocery store had them, but in very tiny bags (about five-six onions) for almost  $4. I'd need at least 10 bags to make three or four jars. I knew there had to be a better option. So off to the Farmer's Market I went.

In the end, there was only one vendor who had anything small enough.

Truth be told, they were mostly smaller than what I wanted (more pearl size than golf ball), and they were a mix of white, yellow and red... but I really couldn't afford to be too picky. And at $1.99/lb, they really were just right.  I bought 3lbs and headed home.

Pickled onions aren't hard to make, but the process is time consuming. Mostly becasue all 3lbs needed to be peeled

I put a movie on, settled down with my helper, and set to work. Four hours later, they were done and in the fridge, soaking in brine.

The next afternoon, I finished the process and ended up with a delicious smelling house (pickling spice is just divine!) and five 500ml jars of onions.

 It will be six weeks before they are ready to eat... but it's a birthday present that will last him for a few months, at least.