Day 133- Pickles

Day 133- Pickles Part 1

As a belated Mother's Day Present, this week's entries are created by request. My mom wants to learn how to make pickles.

Spring time is here and as we move into the summer months, we see an amazing array of fresh fruits and veggies. All across America, we have seen the growth of farmer's markets and locally owned green grocers.

I love going to farmer's markets for 3 reasons:
1. Creating a relationship with the people who grow and produce my food.
2. It is guaranteed to be fresh because it is picked and delivered on the spot.
3. Locally and/or organically grown food is better for our environment and economy because we reduce our dependence on petroleum in our growing process.

For the reasons above, I also like pickling and canning my fruits and veggies as they are in the peak of ripeness.

But what exactly is a pickle? A pickle is anything that has be preserved in brine. A brine is a solution of salt, vinegar and water. Beyond those three ingredients, you can have a whole array of brines: dill, sweet, spicy, etc.

This week, I will show you how to make my favorite pickle--the kosher dill pickle. This recipe is easily found all over the Internet. I use the Joy of Cooking's Quick Pickle Recipe.

Step 1: Select your cucumbers. In this picture, you can kind of see what we are looking for. Your cucumbers should be about four inches long, have some nice variation of colors. Ideally, you have a good spacing of bumps and smooth areas. The flesh should be firm with a slight give. You want to avoid soft and mushy spots. If they have some pre-cut, you want the center to be firm with tight grouping of seeds and nice, white flesh. Purchase about 4-5 lbs of cucumbers.

Step 2: Wash and slice your cucumbers. Give your cucks a good rinsing. Make sure all the dust and mud is cleaned away. Cut off the ends of the cucumbers and thinly slice. No need to go crazy and bring out the mandolin or anything just a quick slice of the fruit. Now is a good time to get rid of any stray soft spots.

Step 3: Make sure your Mason Jars are clean.

Tomorrow, we will talk about Mason Jars and brine.