Busy Weekend

It was a busy and productive weekend around here

for a change.

There was an abundance of produce on the counter that needed some attention.

And by abundance I mean

there was stuff on the counter.

Our harvests this year have been nothing like last year

and that's disappointing.

But I digress.

We have bugs decimating our cucumber plants

so I made sure I used the ones I managed to harvest.

I made 1 quart and 3 pints of refrigerator pickles.

Sadly, these won't last long.

You can find the recipe here.

Then I had a bunch of beets to contend with,

so I pickled them.

We'll see how they taste,

but at least they look pretty.

I also managed to can 2 quarts of green beans.

Hoping to save the cucumbers,

and hoping that the tomatoes on the vine

ripen soon.

Pickles in the Jar

 Sunday night I made 6 more quarts of refrigerator pickles.

My first batch was a success

with the exception of 1 pint of pickles that tasted totally of apple cider vinegar.

Despite that one issue, 

I went ahead with these 6 quarts. 

And as promised, here is the recipe:

Garlic Dill Refrigerator Pickles

Makes 3 pints- 2 pints=1 quart so double recipe makes 3 quarts

2 pounds cucumbers 

(I didn't really weigh any, I just cut up and used what would fit in the jar)

1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups water

2 Tablespoons pickling salt

6 garlic cloves (2 per jar)

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper per jar

1 teaspoon dill seed per jar

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns per jar

Wash and slice cucumbers

In large saucepan combine vinegar water and salt, bring to simmer

Dole out spices to each jar

Pack cucumbers firmly into jars- you want them packed tight without damaging them

Pour the brine into the jars leaving 1/2 inch head space

Tap jars gently on counter top to dislodge any air bubbles

Apply lids and let jars cool

When they've reached room temperature place in refrigerator

Let them sit for at least 48 hours before eating.

Enjoy!

Pickles

With the garden producing copious amounts of veggies,

I needed to get going on the preserving otherwise all the time, 

effort and money but into the garden would be wasted. 

I started with pickles. 

I've never made pickles.

And because I have yet to gather all my canning needs,

I went with a recipe for refrigerator garlic dill pickles

(if they taste good, I'll share the recipe).

I ended up with 4 quart jars and 3 pint jars.

We get to taste them on Thursday,

hopefully they're good or I wasted a lot of cucumbers

(though there are plenty more where they came from).

I also cut enough zucchini and squash to fill 7 quart freezer bags.

There's still an entire basket of squash and more in the garden. 

I see zucchini bread in my future.