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Earl Aagaard’s opinions about everything that interests him. Og also enjoys gardening, travel, reading, woodbutchery, and lots of other stuff.

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PICKLES

It never occurred to me that I would make pickles before the end of August or later—my own pickling cukes are not going to be ready until then (if at all), and it occurred to me that I might find affordable cucumbers of the correct size by that time…..

However, this week I saw the Safeway sale circular and they had English Cucumbers (regularly $1.99 each) at 2 for $1.00….. These are the big long (burpless) cucumbers with a very small see cavity and NEVER any bitterness. Yes, they’re greenhouse grown, but I’m not going to let petty prejudices get in the way of pickles! Plus, Fred Meyer had big bunches of fresh dill—whole plants, including roots, stretching to three feet or more. That was probably the biggest job of the evening - cutting off the flowers and freshest “ferns” from the giant stems.

Anyway, here’s part of the result:
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You’ll have noticed the “garden mix” in the larger jar….I couldn’t resist. I got eight of the cucumbers, plus broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and carrots. I made pickle slices and spears, plus put some cucumber chunks in the garden mixtures….

This is the “Clausen”-style pickle, too—make the “syrup” (vinegar, water, salt) and chill it, then fill the jars and submerge everything in the brine. No cooking, just put the cap on and store in the refrigerator (I have an extra in the garage, so space isn’t an issue). SO easy….and so good:
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There were two more quarts that I gave to Laura - this should keep us in pickles through the next few months, at least….I don’t know that I’ll buy any more - just pickle what I get in the garden and let it go at that.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/26 at 07:42 PM

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