Just because the vast majority of Americans who celebrate Christmas observe the holiday on Dec. 25 doesn’t mean there aren’t thousands of followers of other traditions who wait till January to mark Christ’s birth. And just because cucumbers are the most popular pickled vegetable in this country doesn’t mean mighty fine things can’t happen when bamboo is brined in vinegar.
In honor of the many diverse Christmas traditions routinely neglected by the nation’s mainstream, this week’s holiday recipe is made with Bamboo Ladies Bamboo Pickles, a zesty product from Blue Ridge Food Ventures producer Carla Squires.
For Squires, there’s nothing the least bit odd about pickling rings of bamboo stalk. Bamboo has been growing in Wilkes County, where she was raised, since the late 1950s, when cash-strapped farmers seeking an alternative to tobacco planted a few stands of the Panamanian grass. “I guess they probably weren’t supposed to bring it over,” Squires sighs.
The bamboo quickly took root, as bamboo is wont to do, but the farmers’ wives weren’t quite so fast at deciphering how best to prepare the exotic crop. “They had all this bamboo and had to figure out how to fix it,” remembers Squires.
After a few failed attempts—one imagines the good women of Wilkes wrestling 6-foot-long segments of bamboo into pots of boiling water and deep-frying them in skillets brimming with oil—a community consensus emerged: pickle the stuff.
Squires’ mother, Babe Faw, and grandmother, Johnsie Walsh, made their pickles for their families’ tables, but last year Squires persuaded them to go into business. The three generations of women hand-harvest, shuck and slice their three-acre field of bamboo, which has grown from seven sprigs Walsh planted behind her house in 1970.
Bamboo pickles are tangy and sprightly, fusing Asian flavors with Southern spice. Squires recommends eating them plain or putting them on salads. For culinarily courageous souls, she suggests using them as an ingredient, as in her following festive recipes, for starters.
“People are not familiar with bamboo pickles at all,” she admits. “I’m not aware of anything else like it.”
Bamboo Ladies Bamboo Pickles are not yet available in Asheville, although Squires is negotiating with area specialty stores. For a list of North Carolina retailers stocking Bamboo Ladies’ products, visit http://www.bambooladies.com.
“I just plan to keep selling my pickles,” Squires says. “If they sell, we plan to do a couple more flavors. I’m thinking about Thai Basil.”
Which is, of course, a fine reminder that Americans think, eat and believe different things, even at holiday time. Keep that in mind as you enjoy a second serving of bamboo-pickle salad.
NC Blue Crab and Bamboo Pickle Salad
1 1/2 lb. fresh steamed North Carolina blue crab
2 tsp. finely diced fresh ginger
1/4 c. finely sliced red shallots
1/4 c. finely sliced spring onions (scallions), green part only
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro leaves
2 tbsp. finely sliced cucumber
1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1. Gently combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Divide crab salad into four individual bowls.
3. Top each bowl with four Bamboo Ladies bamboo pickle rings. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper.
Potato Edamame Bamboo Salad
1/2 lb. shelled edamame, steamed
1 lb. small red potatoes, scrubbed
2 slices bacon
1 small cucumber
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Bamboo Ladies bamboo pickle juice
3 oz. Bamboo Ladies bamboo pickles, cut into small pieces
1. Cut the potatoes into small, bite-size chunks and place in a medium saucepan.
Cover with water and boil for about 10 to 12 minutes, until just tender.
Pour off water, set the pan in a sink or larger pan of cold water to cool the potatoes quickly. Combine cooled potatoes, salt and pickle juice. Mix well.
2. Cut bacon into small pieces and fry in a frying pan.
3. Slice cucumber thinly into rounds.
4. Combine bacon, cucumber, edamame and bamboo-pickle pieces. Add to potatoes.
Fold in mayonnaise and mix well.
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