What is summer without a vegetable garden? How we long for the sweet taste of home-grown tomatoes picked from the vine during those dreary days of winter when all you can buy are tasteless, tough-skinned tomatoes at the market. If only there was a way to preserve them until January, just like they’re picked in August!
Tomatoes aren’t the only tasty vegetables with a short shelf life. There’s no way to preserve the taste of fresh-picked lettuce, squash and radishes. You can freeze some vegetables, like green beans, peas and sweet corn. However, there’s one item that is almost better preserved than it is fresh – cucumbers!
There are so many ways to make pickles or relish from them, and when I was a kid, I think my mom used every recipe in her canning book to preserve cucumbers. Some pickles or relishes had to sit a few weeks before they were ready to eat, and that seemed like the longest wait for my brother and me! Others could be eaten sooner, and they were the first to disappear. Most didn’t make it until winter, unless my mom hid a jar or two.
If you find yourself with extra cucumbers and like dill pickles, I have just the recipe for you. Most people are busy this season and don’t have a lot of time to devote to making pickles, but this is a quick way to make use of extra cucumbers and they’re crunchy and ready to eat in a matter of days. I even use the bigger cucumbers that are a little past the perfect size, but I peel them first. I like to make a crock of these dill pickles to keep in the fridge to go with summer sandwiches or just munch on for snacks! You can also put them in jars and keep them in the refrigerator up to three months there. Fair warning, though – they all may be eaten before that time!
REFRIGERATOR DILLS
15 small pickling cucumbers (or larger ones cut into spears)
30-40 fresh dill sprigs
1 or 2 large onions, thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, sliced
1 quart water
1 quart white vinegar
2/3 cup canning salt
Cut each cucumber lengthwise into four spears. In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, dill, onions and garlic; set aside. In a Dutch oven, combine the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; cook and stir just until salt is dissolved. Pour over cucumber mixture; cool.
Place cucumber mixture and brine in a large crock or large glass jar or several canning jars. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
Prep time 40 minutes plus chilling. Yields 60 pickle spears.
Brotherton offers website readers one stellar recipe a week in the “My Leader Yummy” feature.
Looking for a recipe you can’t find? Email me at kbrotherton42@gmail.com and I’ll see if I have it.
