ALL IN A PICKLE!

All in a Pickle.

            The garden bounty always catches me unaware in August. The crops this year were supposed to be poor. Between the cold and the rain in June even the chard and the beets were poky starting up and the cucumber seedlings transplanted from the house gave a shudder, died and had to be replaced with a new batch from Moose Crossing in Waldoboro. Only peas and lettuce seemed to thrive.

            Then came July and beginning of August and everything dried up. Most of the natural moisture did not have the strength to get anywhere north of southern Maine. Daikon radishes, arugula, broccoli raab and kale bolted and while the white and yellow blossoms were decorative, the rest was only fit for the compost pile. Since our water source is our well, only limited watering of my raised beds was advisable and that went to tomatoes, cucumbers and a bit toward beans and carrots that were growing at minimal rates.

            Here it is August!  Somehow the onions survived, the sunflowers that were planted by the birds last fall are magnificent and the edamame beans were just enough for a couple of steamed snacks with our sushi. But, the summer squash, yellow, purple and green beans, as well as the cucumbers have decided to outdo themselves. We and our friends without vegetable gardens have well exceeded the USDA guidelines for vegetable consumption. So, besides freezing string beans for the winter months, it is time to pickle some of this bounty for a tangy and tasty supplement to winter meals.

            Crunchy cucumber dill pickles enhance any sandwich and add a tart note to  potato, tuna, egg and other salads. My version uses natural fermentation and with minimal heating and refrigerator storage will keep for 6 months easily.

                                    Naturally fermented dill pickles

            Start with 20-30 fresh young pickling cucumbers 3 – 4 ½ inches long. Wash with cold water without scrubbing and allow to dry. Have ready a clean and dry 1-2 gallon glass jar or crock. Use only pickling or coarse (kosher) salt, without iodine. Bring 3 quarts water and ¾ cups coarse salt (scant) or 1/3 cup fine salt to boil in a stainless or enamel pot and allow to cool covered.  When cool stir in 1 Tblsp. white vinegar. Liquid will have to be proportional to cucumber volume, which will vary depending on their size and may need to be adjusted.

            Before assembly have ready 3 peeled and halved garlic cloves, 1 tsp. mustard seed, 6 very large mature dill stalks with seed heads and 8 fresh cherry leaves..

Assemble pickling jar with a layer of dill on the bottom followed with a layer of cucumbers packed fairly tightly. Put largest cucumbers in the bottom layers. Another layer of dill and cucumbers, placed at right angles to the first layer and so forth until the jar is filled. As you pack the jar, insert halved garlic cloves and crumpled cherry leaves in different layers. Finish with a layer of dill. Sprinkle mustard seed on top and pour in the cool water/salt/vinegar mix. The liquid should completely cover the last layer of dill. Place a clean jar filled with water on top to weigh down the pickles. Store in a cool place for a week to 10 days.

During that time you will see bubbling of the liquid as the fermentation occurs and some mold may form on the top. DO NOT worry or disturb anything. At the end of this time, carefully remove the jar weight and scoop off any mold (it is only a bit of rough penicillin). Cover the jar and refrigerate. Remove pickles for use and rinse before serving.

If you wish to keep the pickles for more than a month, they need to be processed. Remove the pickles, saving the liquid and discard garlic, leaves and dill. Rinse the pickles thoroughly and dry on paper towels. Assemble quart or pint canning jars with lids.  Pack dry pickles tightly in jars. Bring pickling liquid to boil and pour over the pickles packed in jars to within a ¼ inch from the top of the jar.  Immediately seal tightly with the lids. Allow to cool and you will find that the jars have pulled a vacuum. Store in refrigerator and the pickles will keep up to a year. Some sediment will appear in the jars with time, which is natural and not harmful. Rinse pickles before serving.

The following recipe for dilly beans is really quick and easy and adapted many years ago from Sunset magazine.

                                    Quick refrigerator dilly beans

Trim and wash about 2 lb of fresh straight (stringless) string beans. Blanch beans in boiling water for 3 minutes, remove to ice water to cool and dab dry with paper towels. In each of 2 pint jars place 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp. dill seed, 1 tsp. mustard seed, ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes and pack with stacking leghtwise the blanched string beans cut to lengths that leave ¾  inches below the rim of the jar.  In an enameled pot bring to boil 2 ½ cups water, 2 ½ cups white vinegar and 2 ½ Tblsp. coarse pickling salt. Pour the boiling liquid in each jar to below ¼ inch from the rim and seal tightly. Refrigerate when cool and they will be ready to savor in a week.

Then of course there is Jardinera, the Italian delight of pickled vegetables, but that will have to wait until the carrots mature.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)