No, I'm not talking about that spicy French dance! I'm talking about preserving food! In particular, I'm canning pickles! I've made regular dill pickles, zesty dill pickles and hot dill pickles!
I'm feeling the need to make about 24 jars/quarts because my family, neighbors and some friends seem to like them and they want to know when they'll be ready . . . hmm, I"m thinking about hiding them . . . LOL!!!
Is there truly anything as good as homemade food? Anything as good as local produce? I feel like I'm capturing summer in a jar! It makes me smile in January to open up one of these jars, especially when there's snow up to my eyeballs in my yard!
Here's my first case of pickles! I've begun work on the second case! Let me know if you want any! LOL!!! I'm sure I can accommodate you! LOL!!!
My recipe came right out of the Ball Blue book of canning. If you'd like the recipe let me know and I'll send it along to you! Below are a few links that I thought you'd enjoy browsing, especially if you like home canning!
Enjoy!
National Can It Forward Day
Ball's Fresh Preserving.Com
Mary, what variety of cucumbers do you use when you do your pickling? I've tried with a regular 'table
ReplyDeleteor salad' cuke, but they weren't very crispy crunchy. I don't know what I did wrong ... any ideas?
Thanks!
Oh! I'll take some! :D
ReplyDeleteWaving my hand frantically! They look delicious. I have always wanted to do some pickling. Bonnie
ReplyDeleteLook at you..those look so darn good. We love pickles!
ReplyDeleteI love pickles and try to buy locally made ones though they're a bit pricey. A company in Western Mass, Real Pickles, makes these amazing garlic ones... mmmm. I envy your productivity! I wish I had the confidence to do some canning.
ReplyDeleteMary, your pickles look perfect. I will be making mine this week. I went to the farm this morning and decided to wait until the end of the week. The pickling cukes at the farm looked great today too.
ReplyDeleteMmmm, looks good. I don't do any kind of preserving but my favorite Christmas present each year is a case of pickled beets from a cousin. Everyone loves homemade treats.
ReplyDeleteUsed to make some just like yours,but it'sbeen quite a while since I've attempted.
ReplyDeleteRita
I can hear the crunch now!
ReplyDeletexx
julie
I've never tried canning myself, but my aunt used to make the best pickles. We love pickles in our house so I really should take the plunge one day and try it. Since I don't live next door to you, lol!
ReplyDeleteI love pickles too!!! This is really lots of "can cans".
ReplyDeleteBetter hide them from ME! If I stop by carrying a big handbag...BEWARE! I would LOVE these! Enjoy your week, girlfriend! ♥
ReplyDeleteWe love homemade pickles!
ReplyDeleteThey look beautiful, like art in those jars!
I award you the blue ribbon!
I adore pickled cucumbers but have never made them. I must change that this year. (once I get my kitchen back!) yours look fabulous and if I were a lucky neighbour I'd be there yesterday!
ReplyDeleteGosh! I love dill pickles!!! I could easily sit down and eat my way through your 24 jars! :) yum yum
ReplyDeleteI LOVE dill pickles and that is quite a stash you have made there! LOVELY!
ReplyDeleteKaren
I've never pickled anything in my life, but the cucumbers in the farms stands these days are so cute I may have to try, yours look amazing.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite homemade pickle has always been bread-and-butter, but I haven't made them for quite a few years. As to the questioner about how to make the pickles crisp-y, I don't know for a fact that it'd work as well with dill pickles, but I always used to soak the freshly sliced cukes in ice water for a bit. That made the bread-and-butters nice and crispy.
ReplyDeleteOh I doff my cap to you! I have decided that there'll be no pickling this year even as I know that it'll mean no wonderful opening of a jar that'll make me smile. Just can't go there this summer. Maybe next!
ReplyDeleteYour family and friends will love you. Hope that you get some great trades for a jar of your pickles.
oh mary...they look wonderful....i just bought cucumbers yesterday...wish you were here with me in farmhouse kitchen pickling .....
ReplyDeletehappy to stop by today, my dear friend
kary and teddy
xx
Your pickles look fabulous! I made pickles years ago. Maybe I should get back in the habit.
ReplyDeleteHello! Hope your summer is going well. I can see that you are busy making these delicious pickles! Wish I were your neighbor so I could come and beg for a jar!!
ReplyDeleteBest,
Gloria
Hello Mary, you are so right about homemade food! Even if it is just the simplest of things like a cold-stirred strawberry jam from my mum; it is one way to keep a bit of summer in a jar and enjoy its scent, taste and colour when the actual fruit has long gone and the garden looks bleak.
ReplyDeleteYour pickles are gorgeous. I don't think I could part with even one jar if I were you.
ReplyDeleteSam
Hi Mary!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for stopping by today. I see you too are a teacher? I have NINE days to savor the quiet until I go back to meetings, inservices and classroom prep. Then our students come back after Labor Day. Those pickles are a sweet reminder of summer. You have preserved a summer taste, an ocean breeze in these goodies and I'm sure your friends will love your gift. I must check out that book you recommended, for sure!
Have a GREAT NEW ENGLAND DAY! I lived in Massachusetts for about 11 years. Anita
Now I am craving pickles at 10:30 in the morning. Those look so good. Maybe I need to start canning. I did tomatoes years ago, but haven't tried anything lately.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary! Yes, BLOGGER is strange and acts strangely! Sometimes my numbers of followers GOES DOWN, then minutes later, it goes UP...but thank you for coming back. I could have sworn that I too joined here and I come to find that I was not here! teeeheee
ReplyDeleteHave a great day; it is beautiful here in Minneapolis! Anita
Well, I have to admit for a Red Sox fan you sure can do the can can thing! LOL! :0)
ReplyDeleteSeriously I envy your pickle supply, Mary. They look delicious, and I'm sure they taste so much better than store bought!
Hi lovely lady.
ReplyDeleteHow are you doing? I see you are doing pickles, looks so Yummy!!! Im sure you can not keep them to long... So sorry it's been a long time sweet lady. I hope you and your family have a great week.
XXOO Diane
What a beautiful, big batch of pickles you've made! I just made some more refrigerator pickles today but I really need to try making 'real' pickles too.
ReplyDeleteMy eyes were also drawn down to your Balsamic Red Pepper Jelly. That looks fantastic!
These pickles look simply scrumptious!!! It's funny that I just 'snapped' a shot of my mom's jar (replete with whole garlic cloves and spices) before the rest of my brood had the audacity to finish them off!!! The crunch certainly satisfies the much! Nice to have found your blog!
ReplyDeletethat's funny about the WECK canning jars...cause julie and i have ooowwwing and awwwing over them too...
ReplyDeleteand i didn't make the rug...got it from an antique dealer...squirrels and an owl..how could i pass it up ???
happy to stop by today, my sweet, dear friend
sending love to you and duke,
kary and teddy
xx
Those look yummy, for sure. I make different kinds of pickles but not dills. I would so like to have the recipe...
ReplyDeleteHi there, Thank you so much for stopping by my place-it is always so fun to make new friends. I love your blog and am going to follow as well as tell my daughters about your canning pickles-they want to try that next. Have a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteNoreen
Hi again, I've been having fun reading lots of your past posts.
ReplyDeleteLoved seeing your pickles too.
I wanted to ask how big your miniature Poodle is? I am considering one, for the future, but want a dog between 15-20 lbs(I've got 9 grandkids)so need a dog that will be able to handle kids. I'm so glad that you left me the comment about canning tomatoes.
Pickles, what would one do without them?!! I'd have to leave them sitting around for awhile just to enjoy the looks of them!
ReplyDeleteI just picked up my prize from the mailbox!! I cannot wait to dig into the book. Of course I've already thumbed through and everything looks delicious!! I LOVE the potholders. They might just have to hang around for awhile all clean and delicious looking.
Thank you so much!! I'll give you a proper blog thank you soon.
Best,
Bonnie
There is something so warm and welcoming about homemade preserves.
ReplyDeleteThey look so pretty in the jars.
Can I be your neighbor? As much I think about the opportunity to can I shy away from it (sigh). Pickles are a great food to pickle-delicious.
ReplyDeleteCheers.
Velva
It's definitely that time of year - tomato day again for us. Your pickles look great and I hope they turn out well for you. I don't know how many recipes and methods I've tried for pickles, but have yet to make any I like as well as Clausen, so I gave up.
ReplyDeleteI've never tried pickling. These cucumbers must be so delicious. They look so appetizing! I usually make cucumbers in the Japanese way (just put salt on them) as my husband is Japanese. We in Sicily have a mix of vegetables called caponata which is not really a pickle but it does contain vinegar too and it can be canned. I don't know how to make it well though, so I just buy the one from the shop. I'm following you from Rome, we're here on vacation but we live in Sicily.
ReplyDeleteWow, those dill pickles look great!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to be able to put up all those veggies, and have plenty to give away!
Gill xx
Love pickles... may just have to grab a jar or two!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, wanted to let you know you won the Apron!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/71259582/reserved-for-mary-giveaway-winner-half
Cheers, Megan
Yum! You're right, nothing beats homemade! I would love to learn how to can and preserve someday when I settle down.
ReplyDeleteYEAH!! You won the apron from Megan at Kitschy Kitchen!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful canning pictures. I did 80 pints of applesauce last week but pears and pear jelly for the can it forward day. I love to do the can can.
ReplyDeleteMelissa
Yeah for you! These look delicious and will taste so good this winter! I canned years ago and would love to start canning again.....you have inspired me!
ReplyDeleteThey look delicious, I can see why they go fast!
ReplyDeletePickles look yummy! We usually put several quarts up but not this year. Cucumbers didn't make so have some out to see if we get a fall crop.
ReplyDelete