Smiles my friends,
This week's projects and posts are quick and easy...
I wandered over to the local farmers market, a whopping 5 blocks away!
Picked up some clearance Hens and Chicks and created my Fairy Garden!
Also picked up veggies, fruit and cucumbers for pickles.
I love canning/preserving, though I've never attempted pickles before. Why bother when you can just pick up a jar from the grocer's!
I'm going to give it the old college try, and I do love making food from scratch - and it tastes so much better too!
So there I was, standing in front of the large cuc bins, talking and sharing with the other cuc ladies. It was fun sharing pickle stories, and learning each of theirs "secret" to making them.
Picked out 3 pounds worth, try to get the same size cucumbers, otherwise they'll pickle or ferment at different rates.
I looked over several recipes which all were titled the "best". Can there be over 10 best? Shouldn't there only be 1!
I decided to have my own contest, so Ill be testing out four separate recipes - and award the BEST to one of them!
Garlic Refrigerator Pickles (adapted from the Savory Spoonful)
What You'll Need:
3-4 Pickling Cucumbers sliced in half or quartered, chop ends off
5 Fresh Dill Sprigs
3-4 Clove Garlic crushed
1/2 Cup Distilled White Vinegar
1 1/4 Cup Water
1 Tbs Kosher Salt (don't use iodize salt - iggy taste)
1/2 Tsp Sugar
1/2 Tsp Dill Seed
1/2 Tsp Mustard Seed
1/2 Tsp Coriander Seed
1/2 Tsp Celery Seed
1 Tsp Peppercorns
1 Quart Canning Jar
Typically what I do is get all my ingredients ready - see all the little dishes with spices in them - this is called Mise En Place, a French term simply meaning "everything in its place".
1) In a clean Quart size canning jar, place the fresh dill and cut cucs inside.
2) Add the garlic, dills (seeds and fresh), mustard seed, celery seed, black pepper and coriander seeds to the jar.
3) Mix together the water, vinegar, sugar and salt, stirring until the sugar and salt is dissolved and then pouring in to the jar.
4) Cover with a lid and jar rim and shake, shake, shake! Wasn't there a song called shake, shake, shake, shake your booty! Shake your booty! Oh yeah - KC and the Sunshine Band (am I dating myself?).
5) Refrigerate, shaking the jars a few times during the day to re-distribute all the goodness inside, for a minimum of 1 day.
I'll be taste tasting after 1 day, but I think they'll be better after three days.
Note: the pickles should be safe in the refrigerator for 1 month.
I don't know if I can wait 1 day, let alone 3.
I just love pickles so!!!!
These sure look good! The recipe sounds delicious. Ya done good, kid!
Ann
Those pickles look great! And so easy. Any time I make pickle spears mine come out limp and almost bendable. I'm going to give your recipe a try.
This pickles remind me of my grandma in Siberia. She used to make a very similar recipe and I loved the taste of those cucumbers. Still remember--yummy.
Lovely post. I got to this via Mealtime Monday on Couponing and Cooking. I have linked in spicy mince lettuce cups. Enjoy.