the recipe box swap---garden fresh

Welcome to the August edition of The Recipe Box Swap!  This month's recipes are all Garden Fresh!  If you can pick it from the garden, buy it at the farmer's market or get it from the produce section of the grocery store, tell us how to prepare it!  All you need to do it post your recipe on your blog and add your post URL to the auto-link below.

My plan was to give you my recipe for dill pickles (and I still will!), but my pickle-making day was foiled yesterday when the farmer's market was out of the cucumbers I needed.  I have to wait 2-3 more weeks to actually make them, so no preparation pictures are included this post, although I have a picture of last year's pickles at the bottom of the post. 

I can guarantee that this recipe will be one of the best you have tried (I can say that the recipe was given to me by a friend!) and you will also find it quite do-able if you have never attempted pickling.  I do not water bath my jars, because I find that they stay crispy if I simply refrigerate them.   The texture turns out more like a Claussen rather than a Vlasic, and mine taste better than either brand.

Here are my lonely pickle-less jars:

Dill Pickles
1/2 of a bushel of pickling cucumbers (this makes about 21 quarts)

PER JAR:
1-2 garlic cloves per jar
1 dill cluster per jar (or 1 tsp. of dill seed)
1 anaheim chili per jar
1 grape leaf per jar (or 1/2 tsp. alum--for crispness)

BRINE:
4 cups cider vinegar
12 cups water
1 cup canning salt

You will need 21 cleaned and sterilized quart jars, lids and rings. 

Wash your cucumbers in cold water (I put mine in the kitchen sink to soak for a few minutes and then I drain out the water).  Place all of the PER JAR ingredients in the jars. Pack each jar tightly with cucumbers (you can add them to the jars whole or sliced), leaving about 3/4 inch headspace (that is the space between the food and the top of the jar).

Bring your brine ingredients to a boil and ladle the brine into the jars.  Place your lids on the jars and twist on your rings.  If you want to seal the jars, you will need to place these in a water bath for 30 minutes. 

Place the jars in the refrigerator once they have cooled (you can leave them on a shelf in the cupboard if they have been sealed) and let them sit there for about 2 months.  Yes, you seriously have to wait 2 months to eat these, but it is worth the wait!

If the recipe is too big for your family, do this with a friend and split the jars between you.  I do this with a friend every year (we both make one full recipe, though) and it makes the work easy and fun.  Your house will smell like pickles for a day or two, so plan on opening the windows and letting in the fresh air!

Here is a picture of last year's pickles:

I am sure this year's pickles will look the same!

Happy pickling/cooking/baking!

Comments

[Kerry]

I always love these Recipe Swap Box days!

Your dill pickles look YUMMY. They are a favorite of mine...perhaps I'll give them a try this year.

[Rosanne -- Firefly Nights]

Last year's pickles looked great. Too bad the farmer's market was out of the cucumbers this week.

[Alexis]

I'm so glad you do the recipe box swap, Randi! I always get to try so many yummy new things!

[elizabeth of course]

Mmm!! They look delish!

[Stephanie]

mmmmm...yum! I love dill pickles! They are probably one of my favorite things to snack on. I've never made my own, I'll have to give this a try.

[Anita]

Thank you so much for this recipe! I was just mentioning to my husband that we should try canning some pickles this year after making a couple of batches of jam. I'd also love to try canning salsa.

[Renna]

Sorry for the double Mr.Linky post. I messed up the first time! I sure wish I had a mess of cucumbers, 'cause those pickles are making my mouth water! :-)

[Becky]

Canned Pickles is a childhood memory of my mom and grandma. I love the recipe box swap!

[val]

I have been stalking you since last year but finally gave in and joined today. I added my basil butter. I make it at the end of each summer to hold us over thru the winter months.
Thanks for hosting!

[Dana O'Sullivan]

MMMMMMmmmmmmmmm PICKLES! I remember my mom making pickles for the first time, and that lovely splatter ware pot sitting in the corner of the kitchen brewing delicious bread and butter pickles.
Now, if I can find a farmer who has lots of pickling cukes, I'd love to try this recipe.
Thanks~
DanaO

[Fairlight]

These sure look like yummy pickles. I adore Claussen's and hate Vlasic, so it's inspiration to try something that tastes even better than your favorite. :)

[Dove]

I have always wanted to try pickles, but have been intimidated by the process. This sounds so fun and easy, I think I'll give it a try! Thanks for sharing, and your pickle picture is a perfect shot of what "summer" looks like!

By the way, where do I find grape leaves??

[jessica]

I'm really looking forward to trying these recipes this month...there are so many yummy ideas that I really can use for inspiration when I head to the farmers market!

[Kellie]

Dill pickles are not generally apart of an Australians diet ... it is that stuff that we tend to toss out of our burgers. I am not sure why we do that? I don't think you guys like Vegimite though so maybe that makes us even :). Is that a bumble bee on your banner? Fantastic! Now I wish we had those! Thank you so very much for stopping by my blog but I am sure I am more likely to learn from you!

[Elinor]

Wow, although I'm not a huge pickle fan, your pickles from last year look great! My entire family loves them - I'm the only strange one. ha ha

Thanks for coming to my blog. Were you able to see the whole thing? It seems that ever since I updated my template, I've had people unable to view the whole thing. I don't know what to make of it. Anyhow...let me know if you had problems. Thanks so much! Have a fantastic day!!

Elinor

[Angela]

Your pickles look great! QUESTION: if you do not can them how long do they last in the refrigerator?

Thanks!

Angela

[Kerry]

Enjoyed this "Swap Box"!

Off the topic here...sorry.

Wanted to invite you to participate in a "Farmer's Market Report" tomorrow (or any day next week) at my new blog www.toeverymeal.blogspot.com. If you visit a farmer's market and would like to share with others the yummy things you've found, tips, or a funny story, stop by and leave your post's URL in the Mr. Linky!

[char]

I was just thinking about your pickles the other day. they are so yummy Char

[Vickie]

The pickles look so yummy! I can't wait to try them!

[annemarie]

whats the difference between sea salt and canning salt?
can i use dill weed?
what exactly is anaheim chili and where do i find some?
sorry so many questions im innundated with cukes!
must.make.pickles.

[Kathy]

I made a delicious Salmon Spinach Salad!

[Eliane]

Hello
I'm from Brasil.
Your pickles looked great.
I'll try them.
Have a nice day.
Eliane

[Tamy ~ 3 Sides of Crazy]

Hubby is my pickle monster and would love these!

[annemarie]

im so proud of me. I made your pickle recipe. the kids and I had a blast. i even through in some math and science for fun. thanks a ton.

[Kerry]

Will you be hosting another Recipe Box Swap day? I hope I didn't miss it!