So I’ve proven I’m really not good at daily postings. And because I’ve been so darn busy this entire summer, I haven’t been good at posting anything lately (truth be told – its been 5 months). But as gardeners, whether your garden is big or if your like me and have more than one, keeping up with the daily chores can become a full-time job. And in addition to growing food, I’m also trying to start a business in vermiculture. So please be patient with my postings – I will try to catch up.
Well this year the cucumbers are growing like crazy. I’m thinking it’s due to a combination of our unusually hot spring and scorching summer, the vermicompost that I added to the soil, and the worm tea I fertilize the plants with. And the end results: now I sit with 40+ cucs on my table with still more on the vines.
And because one can only eat so many salads, this year I’ve decided to jar them as well. So here we go, my first canning of the season – bread and butter pickles.
After much scouring of the web to find just the right recipe, I found that pretty much all of them had the same instructions and ingredients for making bread and butter pickles. So here’s the recipe I put together and used for the bread and butter pickles. And let me tell you – these pickles turned out mmm mmm good and so much better than the ones you get from the store. You’re going to love them.
As you can see I left a bit of head space at the top of the three jars. And I only did this because I knew they would be consumed within the next couple weeks. I also know the jars properly sealed after the hot water bath because I heard the tops pop. However that being said, if you’re going to leave some head space at the tops of the jars and plan on storing them, just make sure you have enough liquid covering the veggies – and make sure you hear them seal. Enjoy 🙂
BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES
makes a total of 2 quarts and 1 pint
5 nice size cucumbers
1 head garlic (approx. 10 cloves)
2 onions
1/4 cup canning salt (I used sea salt)
1 1/4 cup white vinegar – 5% acidity
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 1/4 cup sugar
1 tbls Ball Mixed Pickling Spice
1 tsp turmeric
3 grape leaves
Slice up the cucumber and onions, mince the garlic. Place all three ingredients in a bowl and cover them with the sea salt. Place a towel on top of the mix and place some ice on top of the towel. Let the bowl sit in the fridge for 3 hours.
In a large pot bring both vinegars, sugar, pickling spice and turmeric to a boil. Add the cucumber, garlic and onion mix to the pot and bring to another boil. Continue boiling for 90 seconds.
Put the mix in sterilized hot jars. Add the grape leaf to keep the cucs crisp. Process the mix in your hot water boil – 20 min for quarts, 10 min for pints.
And viola – now you have some crisp bread and butter pickles 🙂
Mama Bears Garden 