Brined pickles are easy to make, delicious, and good for you. The fermentation process increases vitamins and healthful enzymes, and they're probiotic, too!

Cucumbers with dill are the most traditional pickle in the US, but nearly any vegetable and herb mixture will work. (Ripe tomatoes are too soft, and I wouldn't try raw potatoes, but we've had good success with every other veggie we've tried so far.)

This versatile slaw is a nice side dish for roasted chicken or grilled cheese sandwiches. The specific vegetables can be swapped based on what looks good at the market or in your root cellar, but it's good to shoot for a balance of sweet and spicy (and a mix of colors never hurts).

Shredded or julliened root vegetables:
2 cups sweet - carrot, parsnip, celeriac, beet, sweet potato
AND
2 cups spicy - turnip, radish, daikon, kohlrabi, rutabaga

Mix to taste with:
Good-quality mayonnaise
OR
Mayonnaise mixed with Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and salt
OR
Garlic aioli
OR
A vinaigrette made with 1 tsp each Dijon mustard & salt, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 2/3 cup olive oil, and a handful of fresh parsley (you may not need all of it)

Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. If you have time, let sit in the fridge for 20 minutes or so. Yum!

So it's the end of February, and we've got a pile of rutabagas about the size of my head still in the cold cellar (which is actually a slightly retrofitted refrigerator), as well as a big pile of carrots that are starting to think about getting a little bendy. These pickles are just the thing.