Dinner Diva: Pickles

Here's an excerpt from one of my favorite nutrition/cooking newsletters. I thought it timely, as we have a great supply of squashes and cucumbers coming up at the farmstand. Great for pickling, as well as fresh eating. Enjoy!

Dinner Diva
Pickles
By Leanne Ely, C.N.C.

Dear Friends,

Way back in the days before refrigeration, the number one way to preserve food was with the pickling process. All pickling is, is putting your food (usually veggies, but sometimes eggs or meat) in salt or vinegar, or both for a long time. These tandem ingredients stop the growth of bad bacteria that make food spoil.

If you've been lucky enough to end up with a bounty of cucumbers from either your own garden, a friend's or picked them up at the farmer's market, making your own pickles is a tasty way to get your cucs dealt with before you burn out on too many cucumber salads. Making pickles is fun and easy. To get started, you'll need some simple canning supplies, some recipes, and of course, cucumbers!

Here's a list of supplies (a few of which you probably already have) to make pickle making a breeze: candy thermometer, a stone crock, a weight, jars, lids, bands, canning salt, white or cider vinegar, boiling water canner. You should be able to buy most of these items at your local super center, and sometimes you can even find these items used at thrift stores. Ask your grandma or some neighbors for some of this stuff; you might be surprised at who has canning jars in their attic!

I like the Ball Blue Book of Canning; pick up a current copy to make sure you're canning safely and away you go.

Here are some great recipes for pickles, enjoy!

Grandma's Famous Bread and Butter Pickles

6 pounds cucumbers, washed, sliced
2 pounds onions, peeled, sliced
1/2 cup canning salt (make sure it's called "canning salt", table salt won't do)
4 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons mustard seed
2 tablespoons celery seed
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 quart apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1 teaspoon ginger

In a large bowl or container place sliced onion and cucumbers, sprinkle with canning salt, cover with ice. Refrigerate for three hours. In a large pot, bring to boil, the sugar, mustard seed, celery, turmeric vinegar, peppercorns, and ginger. Sugar should be dissolved and boiling, then drain the pickles and onions well, add to boiling mixture. Immediately fill pint and quart jars with cucumbers, onion and juice mixture. Leave 1/2 inch head space for expansion. (follow instructions with your canner) Process for 30 minutes keeping the temperature at 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grandma's Famous Dill Pickles

10 small pickling cucumbers, thin slice cut from each end
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups water
2 tablespoons canning salt
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
4 teaspoons dill seeds
4 small cloves garlic, peeled, smashed

Process jars in canner according to canner instructions. In a sauce pan combine vinegar, water, salt, and sugar; bring to a boil. Place 1 teaspoon dill seeds and 1 clove of garlic into each jar, then pack in cucumbers. Pour boiling mixture over cucumbers leaving 1/2 inch head space for expansion. Process 30 minutes keeping the temperature at 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tips: Always put on labels and dates so that you know when you made them. Avoid allowing to freeze but do store in a cool, dry, dark place.

Remember to follow your canner instructions, as well as recipes to the T -- jars should be in the rack and covered by 1 or 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a full rolling boil, boil for as long as your directions state at the exact temperatures stated. Timing starts after water is boiling.

Always check your seals, they should be lowered in the middle and not move when you press lightly. Once completely cooled remove bands and wash and dry them thoroughly. Some people leave them on, but make extra sure you always check the seal before opening. One reason to leave bands off is so that if something went wrong the lid will pop off and not be artificially held in place by the band.
Copyright (C) 2010 www.savingdinner.com Leanne Ely, CNC All rights reserved

Tree of the Week: Corkbark Fir

Abies lasiocarpa, also known as Rocky Mountain Fir, has one-inch, bluish-green needles. It is native to Northwest North America and throughout the Rocky Mountains. In the wild it is a narrow, spire-like tree but less so in cultivation - in many landscapes it has a narrowly pyramidal form. The tree grows best in moist, well-drained soils and does well in clay soils, making it a great choice for our area. Its moderate growth rate and narrow habit combine with its bluish foliage to make a great specimen, or a screening or border tree for smaller spaces. The notable bark is especially interesting in young trees, where it can be readily seen on the trunk. We like its short, stiff needles, which make for a great peek-a-boo effect for the lovely bark!

SWEET CORN is ready!

The verdict is in! Sweet corn is ready for harvest, and we'll have our first batch here to open our roadside stand tomorrow. See you Saturday, July 10 for some delicious sweet corn! One of my favorite ways to enjoy it is raw, right in the field. In a few days I plan to collect some recipes and prep tips from our customers. Want to add yours now?

Protecting Trees From Hot, Dry Weather

If you venture out into your yard this hot, muggy afternoon, you'll probably see some of what I saw in the field today: droopy leaves. I tell ya, I felt just as droopy as those leaves looked! It reminded me, it's time to check the soil moisture.
So I've been going around, digging into gardens, fields, pots, root balls - anything that might need my help with some water.

I'm going to suggest you do the same, especially on your trees that have been in the ground three years or less. Since we only have a 30% chance of rain this week, now is the time to get these trees good & wet, if you haven't yet. Our moisture monitoring tutorial can help you get the hang of checking the soil, and our watering instructions will tell you how to put the water on.

Now, if your tree's root area is already wet, it could still show some sign of wilting this afternoon. That's just because it's darn hot. If you look at the tree in the morning, before the mercury rises too much, you should see that the leaves have perked up quite a bit overnight. Another hot day might influence trees to use more water than usual, so don't be afraid to check on them a couple times this week.

"Owl's" Well

Look who came for a late-night snack! This beautiful horned owl found his
way into one of our roster pens one night last month. His talons and wings were very impressive, and we were all in awe just to be within 20 feet of this amazing predator with his penetrating eyes and stern gaze.

We think he only had one bird for dinner before Mike found him in the morning, and closed the gate to separate him from the pen's remaining inhabitants. You can just see the separate room the roosters are in. But even though there was a door between them, we noticed our birds definitely kept as much distance as they could!

After we ooh-ed and ahh-ed over him for a while, the owl seemed calm enough to release without any danger to ourselves. Mike and a couple of helpers slid open a roof panel, and the owl wasted no time in making a dramatic exit.