I made pickles!

Over the weekend I made the short trip out to the local vegetable stand, Larry's Produce. This place is hoppin'. It's always packed. The parking is always a nightmare. The other shoppers are always rude. And the prices are always GOOD. Not to mention the quality of the produce...gorgeous and delicious. So it's worth the minor inconveniences of being elbowed, shoved and having my toes stepped on.

My main goal was to pick up some pickling cucumbers because I was determined to learn how to make pickles. The selection was beautiful so I stuffed a bag full and moved on. And because I can never just get what's on my list, I looked around for more. I came across some Cranberry beans I'd heard about so I loaded a bag full of them. I bought green beans, lemons, limes, garlic (in case I decided to go Kosher..and I did), onions and some Asian pears...just because I love them.

After dinner on Sunday night I scrubbed cukes, stuffed jars and boiled vinegar and water and before I knew it I had (9) pints of homemade cucumbers! Some are cut in half...some are in chunks...some are in slices...some have garlic...some have chile flakes...some have both...and they ALL have dill seeds! And to add the cherry on top...every lid popped with that sweet sound we all wait to hear after removing our hard work from the hot water bath. I set the processed jars out on the counter on a clean towel and went to sit down a while (canning is hard work!) and to listen for those wonderful sounds. After about 30 minutes I'd heard all (9) *pings* and I knew it was a success. Now...for the real test...the taste. And from what I've read, we have to wait a week or two. I don't know if I can wait that long!

The picture below is of everything I've canned so far: 16 pints strawberry jam (minus about 7 or so that we've eaten or gifted!), (9) pints pickles, (5) pints peach halves. I know we can't "survive" on this small larder of preserves...but you've got to start somewhere, right? I've got a few plum tomatoes I'm going to dry and store in olive oil and I'm still going to do some Dilly Beans...I found a recipe I think sounds good on Recipezaar...I'll let you know how it goes!