<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" style="text-align: left;">A while back, I attended a silent auction/ ice cream social for the benefit of a local non-profit called <a href="http://www.producetothepeople.org/info.html">Produce to the People</a>.  After a few too many whiskeys, I got carried away with the bidding and took home more than my share of pickles and related paraphanalia.  The sweetest score of the evening was a pickle making class for 4 people taught by Produce to the People's Lauren Anderson.  Her organization, a branch of the San Francisco Parks Trust, teaches youngsters about planting, harvesting, and preparing edible fauna from backyard gardens and orchards.  Some of the many delicious products that emerge are jams and pickles.  (We sell her jams at Mission Pie!) </div>
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" style="text-align: left;">So, in the name of a good cause and a lot of fun, we headed to Lauren's home where we guzzled her intoxicating homebrew, fermented cucumbers, and brined pears and veggies alike.  I've yet to pop the seal on our loot, but when I do, I'll be sure to let you know how they turned out!</div>

[caption id="attachment_220" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Lauren&#39;s homebrew helped lubricate the process."]<a href="http://www.karolineskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/299.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-220" title="homebrew" src="http://www.karolineskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/299.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_221" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Her kitchen was full of character.Cucumbers &amp; spices awaiting the brine.Preparing the vegetables for pickling.We prepped pears, lemon, ginger, &amp; cinnamon.Lauren demonstrating how to cover the fermenting cucumbers.The jars were ready for the final hot water processing."]<a href="http://www.karolineskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/300.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-221" title="kitchen decor" src="http://www.karolineskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/300.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

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