Andrew requested that I write the recipe down somewhere so I’ll be able to reproduce it next year. This seems as good a place as any.

I’m not much of a creative cook for the most part, my culinary talents being limited to being very good at following written instructions for other people’s masterpieces. I am not too shy, however, to admit that I have by sheer chance created a really good pickle recipe.

Of course it helps that I am able to pickle my own cucumbers so that adds a little zing to the flavor (at least in my mind). 🙂

So here goes.

Spice Mix (per jar of pickles)
5-7 fresh sage leaves

3-4 small whole bay leaves or 2-3 large ones torn in pieces

5-6 cloves of garlic

a goodish lump of peeled ginger (I’ve been using approximately 1-1 1/2 inch chunks)

equal parts (approximately 1 teaspoonful each) of whole mustard seed, dill seed, black peppercorns, and rosemary. I’ve been using dried rosemary, but a nice sprig of fresh rosemary would, I’m sure, be equally as useful and would look wonderful in the jars.

you may also feel it necessary to add 6-8 dried small hot pepper pods. I’ve been alternating making jars of pickles with and without hot peppers. Andrew says the pepper pickles aren’t that hot, but I’ve found that they are, while undeniably tasty, a little too zingy for my tastes. The red peppers do look lovely in the jars though.
Brine

equal parts white wine vinegar (not the distilled white, it’s too harsh) and water, approximately 1 1/2 cups each per quart jar of pickles

1-2 teaspoonsful of pickling salt. I’m not sure what the difference is between pickling salt and regular table salt; I think pickling salt is finer grained and isn’t iodized but I’m not sure.

A note regarding the brine: I made the mistake, with the first two jars, of not tasting the brine before I made the pickles and thus added WAY too much salt. TASTE your brine before you make your pickles and add more water and vinegar if you think it’s too salty. It’s way easier to adjust the brine before you pour it over the cucumbers than after.

Cucumbers

I have been using my heirloom Bootheby’s Blonde cucumbers when they get to an appropriate size (i.e. approximately an inch across and 3-5 inches long). Any small waxy cucumber will do. If you aren’t growing them most vegetable stands will carry pickling cucumbers this time of year. For you locals, there’s a place on the East Valley Highway in Kent called Carpanito brothers who routinely have pallet loads of the things.

Also note that I have been making pickle chips, not whole dills. The sliced cucumbers pickle much faster and fit into the jars a little better.

Mix the dry spices up, slice the cucumbers, and start the brine boiling while you’re boiling your jars.

I am not the preserving queen. I am always a little anxious about introducing something like botulism into my family’s diet so take my instructions with, if you will pardon the expression, a grain of salt and check a good cookbook for processing instructions. I would recommend a book called Better Than Store Bought which may be out of print but is well worth looking up (it’s also the source of the recipe for the sourdough rye bread that I make for the holidays). Note also that I’m terrified of pressure cookers so ifn y’all have one that you’re not afraid of, modify the processing according to the pressure cooker’s instructions and understand that I’ll happily come by to help pick up the pieces when your pressure cooker explodes.
Make sure your jars and lids are clean. In a kettle large enough to hold the jars upright and covered to the shoulders, boil the jars for at least 5 minutes. Simmer the lids in a shallow pan.
When your jars have boiled long enough pull them out of the kettle. A pair of JAR TONGS will simplify the process and doubtless works much better than what I’ve been using which is simply a pair of regular tongs (note that this is an excellent way to simmer the crap out of your finger tips).

Put the garlic, the ginger, and a layer of cucumbers in the bottom of the jar. Add a small amount of the spice mix then continue to intersperse about 1 1/2 inches of cucumbers with the spice mix until you have both used up. Another tip for the inexperienced pickler: do NOT, whatever the provocation, stick your hand in the jar. The suckers are HOT! When you’ve layered to the point that there’s only about 1″ of jar space left, pour the hot brine into the jar leaving only about 1/2″ of empty space. Put the lid on the jar and the ring over the lid then, having tightened the ring, put the jar of pickles back into the kettle and let it boil for another 5 minutes.

Take the hot jars out of the boiling water, again a pair of jar tongs is invaluable, and let them cool. Check the seals on the lids. Properly sealed lids will make a dull sound when tapped with a spoon and don’t dome. You can also remove the rings from the jars and try to pry the lid off. Store, once cool, in a cool dark place or bung them in the refrigerator if you’ve the space and if you, like me, are a little anxious about your actual abilities to seal something competently enough to keep the bacteria out. Let the pickles cure for about a week before consumption.
When the cucumbers are done I’ll be working on the dill pickled green tomatoes, the recipe for which I think I’ve finally perfected. We should have lots of pickled produce this year.

And I’m mighty happy about it.