Pickle my fancy....

Last weekend, we went to Frog Pond which is a local produce stand (although much bigger than a side-of-the-road stand). We like to go there on the weekend to get fruits and veggies, and it is also the place where we get our turkey chicks. We bought kirby cucumbers, Roma tomatoes, green beans, kiwi, plums, honey stix, and green peppers. Last night, I got to the kirby cukes with my plans to make homemade pickles.



I washed up the cukes and then quartered them into spears. I made the pickling brine (a double batch before it was over), let it boil as per the directions, and then poured it over the cukes and covered with wax paper for 30 minutes. (It was at this point that I realized I needed to make more brine to cover the cukes, so I quickly made another batch and poured it over them. I sterilized some pint-sized canning jars and lids, cut up garlic and added spices to all of the jars. I then put in the cukes and poured the brine over with enough headspace to allow for expansion. Next, it was into the hot water bath for 15 minutes. Allison, who loves pickles, started asking me how long it would be until we could eat them. Patience, dear grasshopper, patience... After a nice hot bath, I removed the jars and placed them on a cooling rack to sit overnight.



I can't wait to try them in a few days. I am really enjoying this canning experience. I asked Pete last night if we would be going back to Frog Pond this weekend so I can look through my canning recipe books to see what I can make next. Tonight: Finish the green beans (I didn't have fresh dill) and the second batch of pineapple salsa. I need to buy more jars! :o)

Have a dilly-licious day!
:o) jenn