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April 4, 2009

SUSAN EVANS | Pick a peck of pickled – pig’s feet?

By SUSAN EVANS The Tribune-Democrat Sat Apr 04, 2009, 11:57 PM EDT

In the spring a young man’s fancy turns to ... well, you know the rest.

In this household, The Husband’s fancy turns to his youth on the farm – and this year, to pig’s feet.

I have cheerfully accommodated his springtime fancies in previous years including, among other things, learning to cook leeks.

But pig’s feet?

The Husband delicately explains that he is not asking me to pickle them, merely that I buy them already pickled when I am grocery shopping.

Everyone will have them this time of year, he says.

Oh yeah? Tell that to the guy behind the meat counter.

Finally, as tired of The Husband’s repeated requests as I am of the late winter weather, I begin searching the meat counters at Ebensburg’s supermarkets.

I even get up the nerve to ask a clerk at Giant Eagle who’s busy arranging pork chops.

Pig’s feet?

Not here, he says.

Then I hit Wal-Mart, going straight to the sausage. Still no luck. Why can’t I have a husband who wants hot dogs?

Just as I’m ready to give up, an older man with a sweet face asked what I was looking for.

Pig’s feet? Hey, this guy knew all about pig’s feet, and he even offered me a couple of options.

I could buy them “fresh” and pickle them, or I could go about three aisles over, to the prepared foods, and buy them in a jar, already pickled.

Oh, yeah. Prepared and in a jar. That’s what I fancy in the spring.

But the cook in me just couldn’t resist asking this charming gentleman how I would make them if the jars weren’t available.

Easy, he said, with the assurance of someone who grew up pickling pig’s feet.

First you rinse them and make sure there’s no dirt left on the feet. Next, you boil them slowly in a little water until “the meat is ready to fall off the bone.” Let them cool, and then add vinegar, salt and garlic seasoning if you like it.

Simple.

I thanked him profusely, and promptly headed to the already-prepared section, grabbing three jars of Hormel pickled pig’s feet.

But once home, the cook in me just couldn’t resist checking my buddy’s cooking advice.

At my computer, I searched the Internet for recipes and found his instructions to be the real thing.

Some were fancier, such as soaking the feet in a mixture of water and sliced green peppers and sliced onions for two days before eating.

And many a Web site reassured me that pickled pigs feet are “an acquired taste.”

Then I stumbled upon the Wisconsin-based Long Lake Foods site, which offers enough pickled foodstuffs to last many a spring season, including pickled turkey gizzards, which are described like this: “Long Lake Food’s turkey gizzards are packed with specific weight and counts of uncured, natural Grade A gizzards, uniformly graded in size and cooked under careful supervision. They're pickled in a special brine sauce, enhancing the flavor of this meaty product for your dining pleasure. A no-carbohydrate treat!!”

Only those who grew up on a farm could debate the merits of pig’s feet versus turkey gizzards.

As for my purchase, The Husband eagerly devoured a portion of the pig’s feet that day, but I cannot help but notice that the jar is still almost full.

But in the spring, it’s the thought that counts.

So thanks to my cheerful, but anonymous supermarket consultant – and please, let’s not mention the turkey gizzards.

Susan Evans is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat.

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