Well I can now consider this garden experience a complete success. I always wanted to make my own pickles and today I had the chance to taste a couple and I couldn't be more happy with how they turned out.
I wasn't too sure if they'd be as good as the ones my friends grandfather used to make but I have to admit these turned out incredible.
They were really easy to make, and I plan on making at least another 5 or 6 jars of them before the end of the season, hopefully. I started these cucumber plants from seed this year, and you can see in the lower left corner of this pick what they looked like on June 16th:
Here is a picture I took of them last night, it was starting to get dark but you can see how much they've grown in 45 days and they've already produced quite a few cucumbers:
Here is what I've gotten from them so far:
And finally the recipe:
It was inspired by
Dan Koshansky's refrigerator pickles I just took some notes for my own reference during the process, as to my exact measurements:
8 cups water (2 qts) - this was way more than needed but better than not enough I guess.
3/4 cup vinegar per qt of water - I used 1 1/2 cups total
I put fresh organic baby dill on the bottom of the jar (sanitized the jars in boiling water for 15 mins)
1 tbsp of pickling spice
1/2 tsp of mustard seed
1/2 tbsp of dried garlic
1/4 tbsp of dried garlic on top after packing in the pickles
Little more dill on top and then added the vinegar and pickling salt to the 2 qts of boiling water.
Poured brine into jars, wiped lids dry (they will rust if you don't) and put into the fridge.
I tried a small one after 24 hours or so and it was great, the others are starting to get a little darker green (looking more like pickles) so I'll wait a bit before I try a big one.
These are just unbelievably good, so fresh and nothing like store bought pickles. Can't wait to pick more cucumbers and make more of these.
