Partners in Thyme

Because Pickles Are Tasty

I love pickles!!! Cucumbers are good but pickles are good x 100. I expanded upon the basic recipe from my previous post, "Refrigerator Dill Pickles" and they turned out looking delicious. I haven't tasted one yet because it takes a little while for the flavors to soak in, about 24 hours according to the recipe... While I'm waiting, I figured I'd update the blog here with some of the latest info. We are swimming in cucumbers. Two of our plants are producing at once, which leaves me busy making pickles and another delicious summer treat, cucumbers and onions. See pics for full-color, mouthwatering illustrations. Who knew mouthwatering was one word?

For those who are curious, here's how I made the pickles. This is a variation of the recipe I had, which left out some essential info (trial and error, anyone?) so I'll explain this in detail.

Here's what you'll need...

• 3 sterile quart jars with lids (not necessarily lids for sealing, this is the non-canning recipe)
• 5-6 fully ripened, normal-sized cucumbers. We do not have a "pickling" cucumber plant, these are just regular, plain-ol' cukes
• 1 red or yellow onion, your choice
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 6 sprigs of fresh dill
• 1 cup of canning salt
• 1 quart of water
• 1 quart of distilled white vinegar

Here's how...

1. Slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise and then into quarters, they should look like spears and fit into the jars nicely.
2. While you're in the slicing mood, go ahead and chop that onion. I don't think size matters, I left mine kind of chunky because Bryon loves onions and they'll be easier for me to stay away from.
3. Slice the garlic cloves into halves or quarters.
4. Now that everything is sliced and diced, you can get the water, vinegar and salt boiling on the stove. I made the mistake of starting the heat before I started chopping and it was ready to go before I was finished. I used a 3 quart saucepan and it worked really well.
5. While the water/vinegar/salt mixture is heating up, start building the jars. I found it's much easier to lay the jars on their side and pile the cuke spears in there. Otherwise they're leaning over on the sides and it's hard to get them all in the jar. 1-2 cukes should fit in a quart jar. Once your jar is filled with cukes, add the onion, garlic and a couple sprigs of dill right on top.
6. Is it boiling yet? Once you have a rolling boil, use a 2 cup measuring cup (with a HANDLE!!!) to scoop out some liquid and pour it in the jar. Scooping hot water is not the easiest thing to do, watch out for drips, spills and splashes on your hands. I made a huge mess on the stove, thankfully it's a glass-top and easy to clean. You want to leave a bit of breathing room, don't fill it all the way. Leave about an inch to half inch at the top. Fill all of the jars and there may be a little bit of liquid left over, that's OK. I had a spear left over too, so I threw it in there and let it soak for a couple minutes to taste it. YUMMY!!!!!! Oh was it ever delicious.
7. Screw on the caps and let cool. One of my jars made a seal, the other two didn't. I don't think it matters. The original recipe says to wait 24 hours before you eat them and they'll store up to 3 months. I wouldn't test that 3 months business, just eat the pickles!!! If it didn't seal, it's probably not safe to store them more than 2 weeks.