I can pickle
He can pickle
She can pickle
We can pickle
They can pickle
You can pickle
Oh, let’s pickle
Can you pickle, baby?
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I spent quite a long afternoon, last week, dealing with a bumper crop of cucumbers. Apparently, the trellis that my husband built, to prolong our lettuce crop, made the cucumbers very happy! The cucumbers climbed it rather fast, providing a nice afternoon shading for the lettuce below.
It was a warm, lazy summer day, one just like The Friends of Distinction sang about in 1969…
Grazing in the Grass, 1969
–The Friends of Distinction
The sun beaming down between the leaves
(Grazin’ in the grass is a gas, baby, can you dig it)
And the bir-ir-ir-irds dartin’ in and out of the trees
(Grazin’ in the grass is a gas, baby, can you dig it)
Everything here is so clear, you can see it
And everything here is so real, you can feel it
And it’s real, so real, so real, so real, so real, so real
I can pickle
He can pickle
She can pickle
We can pickle
They can pickle
You can pickle
Oh, let’s pickle
Can you pickle, baby?
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I used to be a pickle recipe hoarder. Every pickle recipe I came across on the internet was printed out and saved in my “filing” basket. But, I realized I only need 4 actual pickle recipes — two for cucumbers, which I will include in this post, and two for zucchini (yes!), which I will post later.
The reason for only four? I make dill pickles from cucumbers, and sweet pickles from zucchini. Come on! How many pickles do we really need?
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I am a simple gardener, and a simple cook. I grow one kind of cucumber and use it for all of my cucumber needs. It is not a pickling cucumber, but you can pickle just about any vegetable, so why do we need to be so picky about the type of cucumber you want to make pickles from? These pickles are easy to make, and keep well in the refrigerator for a long, long time. Since I had gigantic cucumbers, I cut them into a length that would fit in the jar and then into spears. But, I believe the recipes would work just as well for small, whole cucumbers or cucumber slices. A pickle by any other name is still a pickle!
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These recipes are very similar. The difference for me? One uses fresh dill and the other uses dill seed, as well as a few more spices. This serves as a good reminder to use what you have on hand! Go ahead, experiment — make your own pickle love!
Crunchy Dill Pickles
Ingredients
[Note: these quantities are approximate for one gallon jars]:
8 peeled garlic cloves
fresh organic dill – I used one package
8 cups water
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup kosher salt
1 Tbl red pepper flakes
1 Tbl whole peppercorns
Instructions
Important! Cut the blossom ends off your cucumbers, or the pickles will be mushy. Since I cut mine into spears, I cut off both ends, slice as desired, and then pack into the jars. I add the appropriate amount of garlic to the jars. I like to leave mine whole (because pickled garlic is delicious!), but you can cut yours up, if you want to.
Combine, the water, vinegar and salt together in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until the salt dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the peppercorns and red pepper flakes to the brine. Pour the brine over the cucumbers (make sure the cucumbers are covered), add the remaining dill on top and close the jars.
Put the jars on your counter top — but out of direct sunlight — and leave at room temperature for about 2 days. Put them in the fridge! That’s it! The pickles taste great by the second day, but they are fully pickled after about a week.
These will last a long time in the refrigerator. I will not advise on the length of time in which they will still be safe to eat, but I have kept them, for months, under refrigeration.
Mustard Dills
Ingredients
cucumbers – prepared, as above
[Note: these quantities are approximate for one quart jars]:
1 Tbl Kosher salt
2 Tbl dill seeds
1/4 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves
[Note: this is the proportion for the pickling liquid. Make as much as you need, to fill the jars and cover your cucumbers]:
1-1/2 cups water
1 cup white vinegar
Instructions
Combine, the water, vinegar and salt together in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until the salt dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the remaining spices to the brine. Add the garlic and bay leaf to each jar. Pour the brine over the cucumbers (make sure the cucumbers are covered), and close the jars.
Refrigerate for 7 days before eating. If necessary, shake the jars to redistribute the spices.
These will last a long time in the refrigerator. I will not advise on the length of time in which they will still be safe to eat, but I have kept them, for months, under refrigeration.
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Whew! That was a lot of pickles and a full day’s work! I smiled with pride at my accomplishment, and turned around to leave the kitchen…
Look at what my husband brought me!
Time to rewind to 1968, and Arlo Guthrie…
I don’t want a pickle
Just want to ride on my motorsickle…