Complaint Day!

Today is complaint day!

1. My computer blue screened on me. Yes, I can restart in safe mode, but I am not a IT specialist and don't want to chance losing everything. I could take it to the shop, but I live 15 miles from town and just don't want to get dressed. So I am reduced to typing on the daughter's netbook!
2. The chickens got into my garden today. They free range everyday and finally found the garden today. They destroyed my lettuce and ate an eggplant. They trampled the squash and cucumbers. Hopefully the cukes and squash will recover. As for the lettuce, I saw my first sign of bolting and out it goes!
3. Did I mention that it's hot here? It's 95 here right now (8:45 PM). Too hot for me and too hot for my plants and livestock.
4. Rain? What's that? We have only had .5 of an inch of rain here since May 1st. We really need rain. The farmers and ranchers are suffering. PRAY FOR RAIN, please.

OK... I feel better now! How's your week been?

When Life Gives You Cucumbers, Make Pickles

Lesson 3: When Life Gives You Cucumbers, Make Pickles

Several years ago, I made sweet pickles. They were so much work. You had to soak the cucumbers in lime, change the water, rinse, repeat, etc... Needless to say, it was down right hard and a little unpleasant.  This time, I decided to try dill pickles. I am so glad. They are quite easy to make. Here's the recipe that I used for the first batch of green beans and cucumbers:

Dilly Beans:

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds fresh green beans
• 2 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1 clove garlic, peeled per jar
• 3/4 tsp dill weed
•  1/2 jalapeno pepper per jar

Directions

1. Sterilize 6 (1/2 pint) jars with rings and lids and keep hot. Trim green beans to 1/4 inch shorter than your jars.
2. In a large saucepan, stir together the vinegar, water and salt. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. In each jar, place 3/4 tsp dill, 1 garlic clove, and 1/2 jalapeno pepper. Pack green beans into the jars so they are standing on their ends.
3. Ladle the boiling brine into the jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the tops.  Seal jars with lids and rings. Place in a hot water bath so they are covered by 1 inch of water. Simmer but do not boil for 10 minutes to process. Cool to room temperature. Test jars for a good seal by pressing on the center of the lid. It should not move. Refrigerate any jars that do not seal properly. Let pickles ferment for 2 to 3 weeks before eating.            

   
The recipe is for green beans, but I used had some brine left over, so I used the rest to pickle some cucumbers.

The jars on the far left and far right are the ones that I used for this recipe.

Here's another pic. These are white wonder cucumbers, a butterstick zucchini, and onions.  These needed to be packed tighter.

I used a different recipe on the second batch.

Here's the recipe that I used:

Kosher Dill Pickles:

• 3 1/2 lbs pickling cucumbers
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup Ball Kosher Dill Pickle Mix
• 2 quart or 4 pint jars

Use the same procedures as in the recipe above.

I pickled cucumbers in this and green beans. I added a clove of garlic to each jar and 1/2 of a jalapeno. This was a little easier and made a small batch of brine. It would be good for days when you only have a few veggies.

Pickled green beans and onions 

Sliced Cucumbers

I'll let you know how they turn out in a couple of weeks!