Rakkyo Pickles

Tiny onions make great pickles...and one can never have too many pickles here.

We harvested the rakkyo onions that grow in clusters and individually trimmed their roots and stems. We washed them and rubbed off the skins and dirt, then carefully picked through the basket, one tiny onion at a time, removing any loose bits and making sure each was clean. There was a huge basketfull of rakkyo.

This actvity is usually done like a quilting bee - women gathered together with a common task, chatting brightly - I squatted with mom-in-law in the barn and tried to show an interest in her gossip, most of which I could not understand. I am not a very bright chatterer. sigh.

Once we cleaned them, we mixed each basket of onions with sea salt and let it sit overnight. They are rinsed with boiling water in the morning and then we layer rock sugar (you can see the lumps in the photo) and onions in jars. Rice vinegar is poured in about 5/6 of the way, the remainder being topped off with boiled water. A hot red pepper can be added but my daughter doesn't like the spice so my jars are plain. After a week, we will taste for sweetness and add more sugar if needed. They will be sweet vinegar pickles, much like pickled onions from home.