Pickling at Triform

Last week, the Triform blog took a quick tour of all the wonderful things growing in Triform’s vegetable garden. This week, let’s check in with Triform’s kitchen and bakery to see how we put some of those veggies to use!

When I stopped by the bakery in Triform’s Phoenix Center this morning, I found things humming with activity as students and coworkers were cheerfully readying lunch for the community. The air was full of the wonderful smell s of garlic and of bread still cooling from the ovens.  In addition to fresh meals, another vital job of the bakery is making the best possible use of the true cornucopia of produce we receive from the garden in the summer months—that means finding ways of preserving food for the community to enjoy for months to come.  Pickling, for instance, is one great way to make the most of all the cucumbers from the garden. Folks in the bakery were excited to share their recent experience whipping up a batch of bread and butter pickles. Led by Trifrom householder Akiko, and along with Pia, a coworker, students Lindsay, Caroline, Mathew and Jamie, were able to put up an impressive 32 pounds of pickles. Quite an accomplishment!  Akiko was also kind enough to recommend a recipe and to chronicle the project with a lovely photo set, which you can see at Triform’s Facebook page.


More than just a kitchen, the bakery is truly a hub of the community. Like all the activities at Triform, the role performed by students in the bakery not only aims to be of use, but it is also about fostering students’ personal growth and ability for self-development.  Working alongside each other and with coworkers and householders, the young people at Triform get the chance to participate in a collaborative process, following recipes, preparing and processing ingredients, and sharing in a sense of pride and accomplishment at a tasty job well done.