One batch of pickles to go

[hoodat]

I've finished my dill pickles, my sweet pickles are put up to age and I just got done with my pickled beets. I'm collecting medium sized cukes now for bread and butter pickles. I like them on sandwiches. After that my pickling will be done for the year unless I decide to make some OMG pickles. It means what you think it does. I take oversize cukes (but not with hard seeds) and pickle them like dills except I put a half dozen garlic cloves and four or five hot peppers in each quart jar. It makes people say OMG when they bite into one. I am waiting for my peter peppers to ripen so I can pickle up a few quarts of those. They make a great gag gift for wedding showers, baby showers etc. They also come in handy for salads and sandwiches since they are a medium hot pepper, about the same heat as Hungarians. Of course I'll pickle some jalapenos but those are simple. It's just a matter of pouring a boiling solution of vinegar and salt over a jar of raw jalapenos and sealing them. I usually don't even bother water bathing them since I use straight vinegar. Sometimes I just do them in crocks and don't even bother with jars.

 

[skeeter9]

This all sounds so good, Hoodat. I was all set to plant a bunch of cukes for pickling and fresh eating this year, but my tractor decided to die and it would have taken much more time than I have available in the spring to prepare the site by hand, so it will have to wait until next year. Hope your pickles come out great!

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Sound wonderful hoodat! I should be able to pick some of my pickling cukes next week or maybe by this weekend. I have some that are about 2 1/2 inches long. They would make perfect little gerkins. Enjoy all of those pickles!

 

[vfem]

I'm trying everything to get a moment of strength to finish my sliced sandwich pickles... I think my vines have come to DONE and are succumbing to downy mildew again this year. Man that stuff gets me about this time of the season every year! I even got a resistant variety this time... it just dies slower then the other ones!

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

I used to make Bread & Butter pickles with my Mother decades ago. Good memories and good pickles!

A local farmer friend just offered me some of his excess cucs - so I thought I'd try making dill pickles. Anyone have a tried and true recipe link?

I'll take him some of my homemade salsa, and cinnamon blueberry jam in trade.

 

[Smiles Jr.]

It's so blasted hot outside that we decided to stay in today and do some canning. We did 11 pint jars of dill pickles and 12 qt. jars of green beans. I also started our second batch of fermented dill pickles. The garden is finally starting to pay off for all the hard work this year. The pole beans are just starting to grow pods but out of 60 tomato plants we have not had one single tomato ripen yet. The chickens have eaten just about all of my cabbage this year and now they are eying the sprouts. The fence around one of our gardens was in desperate need of repair but after I tore it down the unbearable heat hit us and I have not replaced it yet. I think all of us gardeners know exactly why there is a saying "patients is a virtue".

 

[hoodat]

I'm trying everything to get a moment of strength to finish my sliced sandwich pickles... I think my vines have come to DONE and are succumbing to downy mildew again this year. Man that stuff gets me about this time of the season every year! I even got a resistant variety this time... it just dies slower then the other ones!

Mine are also letting me know they've about had it.
With any luck next year I can make my bread and butter pickles with a new twist. I managed to get some turmeric root growing and if it grows enough to harvest some next year I can substitute it for dried turmeric. I never realized before how pretty turmeric is when it's growing.