Eleanor Polak Photos
Re-X Clinic attendees with their pickles.
The kitchen of MakeHaven was cramped and filled to the brim with the strong smell of vegetables, oil, and brine. Eight people gathered with Young Le Do on Thursday night to participate in a pickle-making workshop called Re‑X Clinic: In a Pickle!
Some people brought the contents of their fridge. Others darted across the street to Elm City Market to purchase vegetables and herbs. The group shared ingredients between them, until the air was as filled with camaraderie as the jars were filled with salt.
MakeHaven has been around for over a decade as a space for creative people to nourish and share their abilities, as well as learn new ones. The space at 770 Chapel St. and materials are available 24/7, and while a membership is priced at $50 a month, all expenses are on a sliding scale. It’s all about “making making accessible,” said education manager Ashley Zdeb.
Do’s workshop was open to the public, with a $5 entrance fee. It was part of Do’s organization, GreenMagine, which works to promote environmental awareness and teach people how to reduce lifestyle waste. “What I hope people come away having learned is that materials can be used circularly,” said Do. “There are ways to reduce the waste, reduce landfills.”
Young Le Do chopping kale.
“I want to raise awareness that new things are not necessarily better things,” Do added. “It’s just giving people skills and options.”
The attendees trickled in, armed with materials from their refrigerators which might otherwise have gone to waste. Do invited the group to introduce themselves with their names and an alliterative adverb, such as “Daredevil Darin” or “Joyful Jordan.” From the beginning, Do created a feeling of community and collaboration in the group.
The pickle-juice recipe was simple: equal parts water and vinegar, and for every cup of that mixture, 11 grams of salt (Do also offered a salt-reduced option for attendees who requested it). The recipe was borrowed from Joshua Weissman on YouTube and Do called it a “non-recipe” because of how easy it was.
Joanne Smith chopping vegetables with Darin Wilborne, Jordan Keegan, and Gino Cordone (pictured below).
“The first thing you should do is pick your jars, so you know how small to cut your ingredients,” Do said. The attendees did so, and then went to work washing and chopping carrots, cucumbers, radishes, and more.
“What made you choose this meet-up?” Do asked the group.
“I’m just dying to pickle,” said Jordan Keegan.
“I love food, and I saw about pickling and I’ve been wanting to do it,” said Joanne Smith.
Smith wasn’t a Makehaven member, but often came for events. “It’s fun to mingle and meet other people,” she said.
“Oh definitely, you can connect with other makers,” added Keegan.
Stephanie Upson with canning and pickling salt.
While everyone was making their personal pickle jars, it became clear immediately that they intended to work together. Smith shared her ingredients with Darin Wilborne, who had forgotten to bring some. When he offered to pay her, she refused, telling him to “just pass it on.” Stephanie Upson ran across the street to buy everyone more salt, and came back with a special canning and pickling salt, which all the attendees were excited to try.
Amritha Rajan suggested buying lemons to pickle, although Do was doubtful. Still, she said, “that’s the fun of meet ups, you can try something new and we can hear how it went.” Rajan opted against buying the lemons anyway.
“If you cut your ingredients too small, you’ll learn for next time,” said Do.
“This is definitely a learning process,” said Keegan.
“Learning about yourself. Learning about what you like,” agreed Do.
Young Le Do pouring spices into the pickle juice.
The group decided to make one big pot of pickle juice with the full salt amount and Do’s Szechuan peppercorn, which smelled slightly of thyme. They also made a smaller pot with the same ingredients, only less salt. Then there was the third pot, which the group dubbed the “Crazy Pot,” into which they added not just the Szechuan peppercorn, but also turmeric, Spanish sweet paprika, and mustard seed.
Young Le Do pouring pickle juice into jars.
The “Crazy” pickle juice turned out to be in high demand, and Do had to make several more pots of it.
“You guys are crazy,” she joked.
Once the vegetables were fully submerged in juice, the jars were set aside to cool. One of the benefits of the simple recipe was that the pickles would be ready to eat as soon as they were room temperature. While most of the group began to clean the kitchen, a few attendees made sure that even the smallest vegetable scraps weren’t discarded. “We’re not wasting anything here,” said Smith.
Joanne Smith with her pickles.
At the end of the night, the group sat around eating Do’s homemade kale chips and talking. Long after the pickling part of the event was over, the attendees stuck around to cement the friendships they had made. Community, it turned out, tasted just as good as pickles.