In a Pickle

A year ago when I first imagined Pocket Square Farm, I decided that I wanted to grow more than our family could eat. I envisioned filling our own fridge, then sharing with friends and family, and finally, preserving the remainder of our harvest via drying, canning, or freezing. In actuality, we've had plenty to eat and share, but little left over to preserve. Aside from about five gallons of green beans stashed away in our freezer, the only other crop I have been able to "store" for any length of time is cucumbers... by way of making pickles.

It turns out that pickles are an easy and rewarding project for first-time canners! This was a good thing since I've never canned anything before in my life. Canning is a lost art that seems to be making a comeback.

Mid-April, when I planted the rest of my spring garden, I set out eight slicing cucumber seedlings and two pickling cucumber seedlings. We had way more cucumbers that we could possibly eat, which ended up being a good thing since my next-door neighbors tend to help themselves to the cucumber patch.

From our two pickling cucumber plants, we gleaned enough cucumbers to make sixteen pint-sized jars of pickles this summer. Of these, half were sweet pickles and half were dill pickles. Personally, I am partial to the sweet pickles, but many of my friends prefer the dill recipe, so I'll share them both with you.

Refrigerator Pickle-Making Basics

Equipment Needed:
Large stock pot and lid for boiling water
Canning jars, lids, and rings (pint size)
Tongs for grabbing jars out of boiling water
Another large non-metal sauce pan for cooking pickling solution (teflon coating works best)
Large ladle

Directions:
1. Select pickling cucumbers (NOT burpless or slicing cucumbers) from your home garden or farmer's market. Small, 4-5" long, firm cucumbers make crunchier pickles. It takes about 3 cucumbers to fill a pint jar.


2. Wash and cut the cucumbers. Be sure to slice off both ends and discard (this has to do with keeping the pickles crunchy and the liquid from clouding). Cut cucumbers into spears or rounds as desired. Set aside.

3. Guesstimate how many pint jars you will need. Sterilize them either in the dishwasher (use the sterilize/ heated dry setting) or boil them fully submerged in water in your stock pot for five minutes. Remove carefully with tongs and let cool on a clean towel on the kitchen counter.

4. Put your sliced cucumbers into the jars. Don't be afraid to jam them in there, as they tend to shrink a little after a few days. Leave about 1/4" of space at the top of the jar.

5. Make your pickling solution in your sauce pan on the stove. This is the step where sweet pickles will differ from dill ones.

Sweet Pickles
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup fresh dill
3 small white onions, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp. mustard seed
2 cups white vinegar

Dill Pickles
To make dill pickles I cheated a little and used Mrs. Wages Polish Dill Refrigerator Pickle Mix, which you can find in the canning section of many grocery stores. I felt a little guilty using a pre-made mix on my homegrown, organic cucumbers, but the results were easy and really yummy! Follow the directions on the package for mix to vinegar ratios.

6. Whether you're making sweet or dill pickles, bring all ingredients to a near-boil (just barely simmering) in your teflon-coated sauce pan.

7. Using your ladle, spoon the hot liquid into your jars of cucumbers. Leave 1/4" of air space (headspace) at the top of each jar. If your jars are a little low on liquid, you can top them off with a little extra vinegar.

8. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, dry towel and screw on the lids. Put immediately into the refrigerator. Chill at least 24 hours before eating; store up to one month in the fridge. Remember, refrigerator pickles must stay refrigerated in order to be safe to eat!

My family has always liked pickles, but now that we're canning our own we have become pickle devotees. Whenever we're heading outdoors to concert in the park or a day at Crystal Cove State Beach, we grab a jar of pickles and add it to the picnic basket. It's an unexpected take-along snack, but when you're out in the sun on a hot day, ice-cold pickles are a light and refreshing treat. As an added bonus, when the jar is empty it makes a great container for brightly-colored bits of beach glass my family collects at the water's edge.

For more detailed information on pickling cucumbers, click here.