The art of preserving summer

One more step in getting ready for the season - this time by putting summer in a jar.

Meet zakrutki - the Russian tradition of home canning. Pickled cucumbers and tomatoes, mushrooms, berry jams, compotes, vegetable salads - if it fits in a jar, chances are somebody has already put it in one.

A page from history:

for generations, this was much more than just a hobby. With fresh produce harder to come by in winter, preserving what summer and autumn had to offer was simply practical. Today, supermarkets have made it far less of a necessity, but the tradition hasn’t disappeared.

And it hasn’t disappeared with younger generations either. With fermentation and gut-friendly foods having their moment, homemade pickles and other fermented goods have found a whole new audience. Not every zakrutka is fermented, of course, but the ones that are can be a very tasty way to add fermented foods to the menu. So if you’re travelling around Russia this autumn, look out for homemade pickles, preserves and jams at local markets, restaurants and family tables.

And remember: in every Russian family, someone’s grandmother makes the best zakrutki - period.

#DRculture