pickled grapes

Finals are almost over!! The last one is on Monday, so that practically means I have a whole free weekend!

…right?

Of course! Studying for a Monday final might as well start on Sunday. That left me plenty of time tonight to final construct a lightbox!!! So what food should I use first to play with my new DIY toy?

Pickled grapes, obviously. Made with a recipe found on Smitten Kitchen.

First, a before-lightbox picture…

And after the lightbox? (and some pretty new dishes from Target)

so bright!

so crisp!

And the recipe? The vinegar/sugar/grape mixture definitely caught me off-guard, but after eating a few, I was definitely a big fan. SK wrote about cooling the brine completely before combining it with the grapes, and I agree that was probably a better move. I made two batches of grapes; the first one I didn’t cool the brine, and the grapes were pretty mushy after a couple days. The cold brine was a lot more refreshing. In fact, either way, these were best eaten right out of the fridge.

Unfortunately, I really didn’t taste the mustard seed, black pepper, or cinnamon 🙁 Maybe I should boil the ingredients together for longer? Maybe add more spices? Or try different ones?

I’ll keep that in mind next time!