Okay, so with my crew, we make quarts, not pints, but that's okay.
Starting with a big bowl of cukes, we chop them into chunks or run them through the food slicer (the same one we used to cut the corn from the cob a couple weeks ago).
Then we put them into a lime-water bath for 24 hours, followed by a 3 hour ice water bath. That keeps the pickles crispy. After all that, we pack them into clean canning jars, fill them with the pickle syrup, and put the lids on.
Because my husband is an out-of-the-box thinker, all the hot work is done outside, on our deck, using a fish cooker burner. It helps SO much! Not only does it keep the heat out of the house, but the canner comes to a boil ultra fast which is a great time saver.
After a day of pickling, one of the sweetest sounds is the ping of the lids sealing closed. A sideboard lined with pickles is a satisfying sight. Especially from my recliner.
So far, we've made sweets, Pennsylvania dills, and bread and butter, but the bread and butters were close to a bomb-out. (I hate it when we don't like a recipe!) Our total so far this season? 51 quarts and 8 pints. Makes for happy kids!
And lest you think I do all this by myself, here are two of my helpers, modeling cucumbers. Yes, we manage to have fun even while we work. Makes the pickles taste better. ;-)
So tell me, do you have a good bread and butter pickle recipe?
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Love seeing your pickles, Patty. I have trouble growing cukes here, for some reason, they never seem to grow and I only get 1 or two cukes per vine, :(. but when I can get them, I make a sweet pickle relish for hot dogs that my MIL taught me how to make.
ReplyDeleteI also like refrigerator pickles instead of canned B&B pickles. I'll have to look up the recipe.
I am jealous that you have helpers! LOL!
Hi Bonnie! Just seeing you here makes me smile! =]
ReplyDeleteI keep hearing about refrigerator b&b pickles. I'll have to check into them.
Hugs!
Good for you, Patty. I can almost taste them. Yum.
ReplyDeleteI love bread and butter pickles. I can taste them too.
ReplyDeleteThat is fantastic, Patty! This may sound crazy, but I've always wanted to make pickles! Sadly, I too can never get cukes to grow, nor do I even have a pickle-making recipe. But I love B&B pickles! I may have to "sneak" to your place next time and be a "helper"...think I could pass for one of the kids? ;)
ReplyDeleteLOVE that last picture. So VERY cute (and I think the "pickle expressions" match the kids holding them LOL)! Not a huge fan of bread and butter pickles, but I LOVE dills. And I've never made pickles. Sounds like TONS of work, but totally fun!
ReplyDeleteYou're supposed to let the pickles sit for a bit before eating them, but we haven't yet succeeded in doing that. The kids are thoroughly enjoying the fruits (and pickles) of their labors!
ReplyDeleteShelley, I'll let you know our next pickle day and you come on over. Bring your computer. LoL I promise not to pickle it. =]
Love your pickle models! Trade you a quart of pickles for a quart of sea glass and shells?
ReplyDelete*gasp* Cheryl, that's no where close to an even trade!! Your sea glass is worth a whole lot more than a quart (or four!!) of pickles!!
ReplyDeleteOh! That reminds me...I meant to show this post to Laureen--it's her PA dutch pickle recipe I'm using, and loving. =]
Adorable! I unpacked unopened jars of pickles I'd given my son yesterday when we moved them to a new apartment. I guess I like making them more than anyone else likes eating them.
ReplyDeletePickles look yummy, but what a lot of work!
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ReplyDeletePickles look yummy, but what a lot of work!
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