Welcome to the second entry of my blog series The Gardening Diaries, where I share what I’m learning, doing, and growing in my garden.
This year I planted eleven pickling cucumber plants, yes, I said eleven for a household of three. Thinking back to the late winter to early spring time frame when I started these seeds, I recall feeling like eleven was being conservative.
I guess you could say I was eager for the days when I’d have fresh produce from my own garden beds. Being that we adore fridge pickles, I thought why not plant a lot of cucumbers. I mean, there’s really no such thing as too many cucumbers.
Flash forward to July and here I am harvesting two to five cucumbers every few days, and even though they’re way tastier than any pickling cucumbers I’ve purchased at the store or even the farmers market, I’m really questioning the sanity of past me.
I’ve been Googling a number of cucumber recipes and so far have made three jars of pickles (dill and bread and butter fridge pickles, and a fermented variety), and I’ve made cucumber salad twice. Fridge pickles are quick and easy, but they don’t have a long shelf life, not to mention they take up precious space in my fridge.
Although I know I could water bath can a couple batches of pickles to have some for the winter, I haven’t had much luck in the past keeping my canned pickles crisp. Right now, I’m making it my mission to find a recipe (or a hack) for keeping canned pickles crunchy and fresh. Until I find that recipe, I’m working hard to keep the fridge cleared for the addition of my weekly jar (or two) of pickles.
Have some pickle tips for me? Let me know in the comments!
Amanda Bretz 