Four weeks til pickled Green Almonds!

[Photo by Aglaia Kremezi]

A few days ago, I came across this recipe for Pickled Green Almonds as I was searching for a passover-cookie recipe (these were great and easy to make, too; plus, its fun for the whole family, since someone gets to put a single almond on top of each cookie. Though Miss Missy helped on this front, I was thinking that it would be fun for my nephew). I have always wanted to pickle something, because I love pickles and olives, and I'm always fascinated by the realm of non-cooking cooking (I know this is different, but its related, I think). Also, I am always interested in foods that exist in forms other than the ones we're accustomed to. So I read it over and was interested, but didn't really expect to come across any Green Almonds any time soon. However, when I went the next day to Sahadi's to pick up Almonds and Orange Blossom Water (another strange, fun, and amazing-smelling ingredient (and cheap, too!)) what did I find but Green Almonds, sitting in a basket with all of the other nuts and berries (strangely, they were self-serve, and everything else, the workers there will get for you (if you live in New York and haven't been to Sahadi's, its worth the trip- especially if you live six blocks away like I do; if you don't live in New York, I'm Sorry). A woman next to me asked what they were, and then said that where she is from (Greece) they are everywhere, but taste horrible. I wonder if this is one of those cases of someone not making the connection between foods in one form and another, like not realizing that prunes and plums are the same thing. Well, I wouldn't say they are disgusting necessarily, though I would not go out of my way to eat them raw (they taste like a raw green bean, but with a little bit of almost-lemony tanginess) and so therefore I pickled the whole lot. Or at least, I am in the process of pickling them. In four weeks, we'll see how they really taste.