Pickles

When it's hot, sometimes I struggle with what to eat. Most of the foods I really like are foods that are good for warming you up: spicy things, heavy things, fried things, yang things, beer, caffeine... I haven't consulted any experts, but I'm willing to hazard a guess that my pitta dosha is chronically out of wack (official term). I'm always too hot, and summers are just getting more and more brutal, so I've decided that I can only take jobs in Alaska. Actually, Alaska is probably still too hot.

So anyway, pickles! Pickles are intensely flavorful yet light, good for eating with meals in hot weather. Here are three batches I've recently made:

Spicy Refrigerator Pickles and Star Anise Pickled Daikon and Carrots

This last one was a bit closer to the 'salad' end of the spectrum (is there a 'pickle'-'salad' spectrum?): thinly sliced cucumbers with a lot of lime juice and basil, plus a pinch each of salt and turbinado sugar. Mint would be good here, too.

Quick Pickle with Lime and Basil