Friday, August 15, 2014

Pickles

We dearly love pickles, and this year I think I finally preserved plenty.


vintage crinkler from a quick trip to Virginia
22 quarts dills
6 quarts bread-and-butter (recipe from Mennonite Community)
12 pints not-so-sweet bread-and-butter (from Tart and Sweet, a library book I browsed)
9 pints pickled red beets + 3 quarts brine for marinating eggs



I waterbathed all of them to ensure a long-lasting seal.  I did this on the burner on my outside grill, setting the jars on a nearby table in a sheltered spot to cool.  At this point in the summer, my routine is familiar and automatic.  The big things on my preserving list yet are applesauce and all the tomato products.  The growing season started late this spring, and now our cool weather might shorten it on this end, so it's possible I may not get enough tomatoes to make salsa, ketchup, pizza sauce, and tomato soup in addition to canning whole tomatoes.  In any case, we have enough pickles!



5 comments:

Jennifer Jo said...

On today's list: chopping up 21 pounds of cucumbers for the sweet pickles. Go pickles!

Unknown said...

Great list of preserving!

Yes, I'm saving up cardboard in case we have to pick all the tomatoes before a frost comes...they'll ripen on the cardboard in the basement.

It was a great year for herbs and beans here - all the rain!

BLD in MT said...

Homemade pickles are the best, hands down. I'm basically too spoiled to eat a store-bought one now. They're never crisp enough. Our apple harvest is looking sad this year. I'm thinking it was the three hail storms. But, hopefully we can salvage something from the minimal amount of fruit.

jenny_o said...

Your rows of pickles are a feast for the eyes, and I'm sure for the palate too. This is a busy season for home canners!

Sew Blessed Maw [Judy] said...

Have made lots of pickles too.. Such a good garden season this year..Very thankful.
Thanks for sharing your recipes.