Pickle Postscript

They are great already. Garlicky and salty like the pickles I used to get in the pickle buckets on the tables at that Deli (whose name escapes me) in the Loop when I worked down there 25 years ago. Sam said they reminded him of the pickles at the Madison-Pine Restuarant in Perth Amboy (used to be across from the store).

NB - remove all the big seeds, even if it looks like they'll be okay. They got slimy, but the rest of the pickle is perfect.

Pickles & Produce

Last night I dealt with the cucumber revolt of 2007 - or were they merely revolting!?

Huge cucumbers, left too long on the vine, needed a purpose - so I made pickles - half-sour chunks - and we'll see in a couple of days if they need anything besides throwing away. I'm not cooking pickles - down to the refrigerator they go.

In looking for a good recipe I found one from the Lower East Side that wanted me to get a barrel that had held olives and put in 50 lbs of cucumbers and 3# of salt with other brine making ingredients.

I ended up using:
20C water
7C Vinegar
1-3/4C Pickling Salt

5 Half Gallon Mason jars full of cucumber chunks
Garlic
Fresh Dill (Picked by moonlight last night. I wonder if that will do anything?)

Packed the pickles, garlic and dill in clean jars.
Poured boiling brine into jars
Let them sit overnight on the counter.
Took 'em down to the refrigerator this morning.

We'll wait and see (tasted one as I put lids on them - half-sour and salty like the deli - yum!)

I tackled some of the weeds in the rose garden - and in the process pulled up a hunk of mint - so, I'll use some of the Roma tomatoes from the garden and make tabbouleh.

7.5 inches of rain in August! Things are jungly out there!