Garden Madness 2008: Part 6, the Pickling

[nonelvis]

I think the vast quantities of rain we got last week took their toll on the cucumber vines, which were small and shriveled when I checked on them this afternoon, but there were still enough cukes that I was clearly going to have to make pickles:




I try to make at least one batch of pickles every year. Last year, the cucumbers did very poorly for some reason, but the CSA came through with surprise okra, so I pickled two very delicious jars of it. This year's cucumbers are being pickled with a standard salt/vinegar/sugar/water brine and a bunch of spices: black and yellow mustard seed, allspice, cloves, dill seed, a little dried red pepper, green peppercorns, garlic, and fresh dill from the CSA.

I wish the pickles would stay this green after processing. There's probably a chemical trick to this that my Ball canning book doesn't describe – I'd say baking soda, but adding baking soda to a brine is literally a recipe for disaster. (Or a volcano, anyway.)


After processing in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes, they look a bit grayer. All the jar tops have sealed properly, though, so the pickles will keep for a year or so now. As if they'll last that long before being eaten.

Comments

[kalleah.livejournal.com]

THOSE POOR INNOCENT CUCUMBERS!!! THE HORROR! THE HORROR!

[nonelvis]

I thought about posting a warning on this entry for you, you know.

[kalleah.livejournal.com]

Yep. You mention pickles and you know I'm guaranteed to make a terrible face and start whining. Incidentally, there is now a vendor at our farmer's market who sells nothing but pickles -- cucumbers, okra, radishes, and heaven knows what else. (I didn't stop to browse.)

[platypus]

PICKLE HEAVEN.