Its Pickle Time!!

My apologies for the long delay in posts! I have been quite busy lately with my law school applications and so the blog has been neglected!

With the garden going crazy and producing more food than we can eat on a good day, it is that time of year again-- time to make pickles! We absolutely love to pickle just about everything and so I thought I would share some of my favorites today.



Pickled Lemon Cucumbers

Lemon cucumbers are a round, yellow and slightly sweet variety of cucumbers that grow really well here in Portland. They are delicious peeled and eaten like a regular cucumber, however they are also very tasty as pickles!

Ingredients-
As many lemon cucumbers as you have. Cut the larger ones into halves or quarters.
Pickling spice mix (1 Tb per quart jar)
Garlic (1-2 cloves per jar)
Brine (mix ratio of 1 cup white vinegar to 1 cup water with 2 Tb of pickling spice per quart size jar and simmer on low until salt is dissolved)

You will also need quart-sized jars, clean rims and new lids.

Sterilize your jars by boiling in water for 5-10 mins. While jars are sterilizing, simmer the lids on medium heat (do not boil).

While jars are still hot, add cucumbers and spices to each jar. Leave 1 inch of space at the top of the jar. Using a ladle, fill the packed jars with brine and wipe the rims with a clean dish towel. Place hot lids on each jar and screw on the rims as firmly as possible.

Place the jars upside down in a big stockpot (or boiling water canner if you are fancy) with enough boiling water to completely cover jar rims. Boil 15 mins to process.

Once jars are done processing, remove and place on a dishtowel to cool. After jars are completely cool, check seals by pressing down in the center of the lid (the middle should not move or push back). If jars have not sealed, you can re-boil them. Also, placing them in the fridge for a few hours can help a jar to seal.

Once all the jars are sealed and cooled, place them in a cool dark place. The pickles will be ready to eat in 4-6 weeks. However, you can save and eat them all winter-- the flavor will just be stronger the longer they sit (though we can never manage to resist eating them all much sooner!)

Delicious!

Next time- Dilly beans and dill pickles!