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Pickles and Peppers

These cucumbers are straight from the garden!  We have four cucumber plants; I am not sure if four is enough plants to have enough cucumbers at once for canning dill pickles.  Last year, someone gave me a bushel of smaller cucs, and maybe I need to get some at the farmer's market.  However, four plants is enough for refrigerator pickles!  Too bad I didn't measure them before I cut them up but I think the biggest ones were about 10".   


I am not really a pickle eater but I hear they are great. 


You can tell this is a fresh jar, the spices haven't settled yet!  I wish I'd had onions and peppers from my garden to use, as well.  I do have some onions that are doing well but I love onions and they are being saved for a Special Purpose. Perhaps some Awesome Potatoes.


I have one bell pepper and I'm waiting for it to turn yellow.  I have grown some sweet italian roasting peppers in the past, and have gotten some big ones, maybe 8", but they never turned red.  How long does that take???  I ended up picking them as I needed them and never had one turn.  So this year, I am trying to be patient and see if they actually turn.  Maybe those are magic peppers that I didn't buy. 
Besides the bell we have two pablanos and one Anaheim pepper plants.  We've picked several Anaheim this year; they're supposed to be red but they were touching the ground.  It's been my experience that fruit touching the ground is an invitation for slugs, and slugs make my skin crawl, so I prefer not to find them on my food.  We have a pablano that is turning black but I bought the plant with that pepper on it and it has not grown - not the plant OR the pepper.  It's been a month today!  I don't even like hot peppers but BFJ requested that I grow some.  I don't know what to do with them besides throwing them in pickles here and there... 


I'll leave you to glean any possible knowledge from the pepper ramblings.  In the meantime, here's the Refrigerator Pickle recipe:

  • 4 cups sugar
  • 4 cups vinegar
  • 1/3 cup canning salt
  • 1 1/3 tsp celery seed
  • 1 1/3 tsp turmeric
  • 1 1/3 tsp mustard seed
  • 1 onion roughly chopped
  • 1 green pepper roughly chopped
Combine and pour over sliced cucumbers in a gallon glass jar and refrigerate.

Well, I use several smaller jars because I don't have a gallon jar, and because they are easier to share that way!  If you want even more pickle recipes, check out this post


PS  I have posted over 250 blog posts, and been blogging for over two years.  I was going to catch that anniversary and have a give-away, but I missed it because I was too busy.  I think I'll have a give-away anyway!  What do you think?  Check back soon!

Comments

  1. I think a giveaway is a great idea -- I'd like that sweater in your last post please! It's gorgeous!!!

    Looks like you're having garden fun - sorry I can't help you with the pepper question. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your new headers always make me smile, Karen! I can't believe it, either - here this morning as I was picking my pickling cucumbers I was thinking of finding a recipe for refrig pickles! Thanks so much!
    My peppers did not make it this year - they started to turn color on the vine, but they were smaller than the palm of my hand - hardly worth keeping! I saw them growing in Canada in a field once and they were all turning red on the vine!
    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I forgot to pick up my cucumber the other day! They all look so good too - I'll have to stop by again and grab one before they are all pickled.
    As for peppers, I've never had one grow the way they are supposed to here, my bell peppers are just starting to turn now, but doing so VERY slowly.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your pickles look so yummy. my kiddos eat all our cucumbers with ranch dressing before i even have a chance to think about pickling - i'll plant more next year. I love all your knitting projects. the lace pattern in your socks is beautiful. And your garden photos from your last post are amazing - i need to be reading the photography books that you are reading! Please share - is it the light, lens, your talented self? Bet it's the latter!!

    ReplyDelete

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