Kelsey and her pickles

This little peach needs no introduction, so I will add some things about Kelsey you may not know: She is the chief editor of this blog, alerting me to embarrassing typos or if I accidentally publish a post four times. She first came to Philly for a summer job with Center for Student Missions and (providentially) went on to endure the long Northeast winter as part of the full-time staff. Her leap of faith made mine much easier. I am really proud of her, and I love her a lot. Plus! She gardens like a pro and I wanted to showcase some of her domestic prowess here. This will not be the last you see of her.

I love all things pickled. Always have. So much so that for several years my grandma would give me a giant jar of pickled okra for Christmas. I was always thrilled. So when the cucumber plants that I started last spring as a project to fill my newfound free time flourished beyond expectation (I credit coffee grounds and this lady), I knew exactly what to do with the surplus. My Aunt Jana makes delicious homemade pickles, so I went straight to her for the recipe. It’s just a few simple ingredients (which I love, because I am terrible at grocery shopping) and really isn’t as hard as one might think. My setup was pretty amateur compared to some of the pickling kits out there. I didn’t scald myself with brine, but if I start gifting them at Christmas I might have to invest in some more professional tools.

So, without further ado, let’s pickle.

 First, you want to find wide mouth, quart-size canning jars. Little did I know in a city of 1.5 million people how hard this first task would be. If you are ever in Philly and on a wild goose chase for jars, as I was, forget about Lowe’s and head straight to Fante’s in the Italian Market. Friendly service and everything you could ever want for the kitchen. Make sure you sterilize the jars before using them (ie-wash them in the dishwasher).

Gather enough cucumbers to fill your jars. The recipe I will pass along to you is for seven jars. I did some division and started small with just two, but by all means—go for it! I found that about 2 or 3 cucumbers filled one jar. The cukes should be cold and washed.

 In each jar, put two cloves of garlic and one head of dill weed.

Stuff each jar with cucumbers. You can slice them or leave them whole.  Personally, I prefer a good spear.

For the brine, combine water, salt, and vinegar and bring to a boil. If you would like, you can also add 1 Tbs. mustard seeds to the brine after it is boiling and before pouring it over the cucumbers.

Cover cucumbers with the boiling brine, leaving about a half inch at the top. Put the caps on the jars, making sure to leave them loose enough to allow excess pressure to escape while they process but tight enough to get a good seal when cooling.

Process in a large pot (or a canner if you happen to have one on hand) in a boiling water bath for ten minutes. Remove jars (carefully!) and allow them to cool. Tighten the lids once they have popped down.

Now the hard part—Wait four weeks to eat them!

After the long wait, I was able to celebrate the finished pickles with Jim and Whitney during a Labor Day cookout. I must say, and I think my taste testers would agree, they were a delectable way to celebrate the summer. There’s nothing much better than a crisp, cold pickle, and even more so when you’re enjoying the fruits of your labor. 

Whitney's note: Truth be told, the three of us ate a full jar in two days. The pickles were delicious. And Kelsey used her cucumber bounty in other creative ways. I'll have her do a follow-up post with those details. It involves cocktails.

With love.