Just a Couple Cucumber Vines...

When deciding what to add to our garden this year, I told my dear hubby that I would like just a couple cucumber vines this go around.


Who knew that "just a couple" vines could produce so much?

An armful of cucumbery goodness!

We have two vines that are currently producing a great deal of heritage-type, non-GMO cucumbers - one with traditional, long cucumbers and one producing pickling cucumbers. 


So what do you do with an overabundance of cucumbers? You pickle them!! Have I ever pickled anything before in my life? Nope... but that's never stopped me from doing stuff before - ask anyone who knows me.


So on the 4th of July, in between shopping and getting the house ready for an influx of my son's rugby buddies and a dive-in movie, I decided to preserve some of the pickling cukes - but not before my dear hubby and son were a bit creative with them...

Yes. They are boys with only one thing on their mind. Cucumbers.

So I'm not a fan of mushy, fake green pickles. I'll spend more at the store for the pickles in the cold case every time. So I wanted to do something as close to that as I could. I found a great post at Urban Hennery entitled "Not USDA Approved" - and the pickles look awesome! She also preserves in a way I can totally relate to (i.e., preferably with friends and lots of beer breaks). 


So I used, but adapted, her recipe. In addition to what she uses, I added a clove of garlic and 1/8 tsp mustard seed to each Quart.  Since the men in my family are spicy food fanatics, I also thinly sliced up a jalpeno and added it to three of the jars (and carefully marked them with a huge "S" for SPICY!). Finally, I learned that when she says "stuff with cukes" she really means stuff/wedge the cukes. You don't want those puppies floating all about in the brine.

Grandma Leona’s Dill Pickle Recipe:(adjust to the amount you want to make)

• 12 lbs pickling cukes
• 1 gallon apple vinegar
• 2 quarts water
• 2 cups pickling salt
• pepper corn
• whole cloves
• dill seed
• 12 quart jars and lids

1. Sterilize your jars and lids
2. Put a small head of dill in the bottom of each jar, plus 10 pepper corns, 2 cloves and 1/4 tsp dill seed
3. Stuff with cukes
4. Bring the brine (all other ingredients) to a boil. Fill each jar and promptly put the lid on
5. Set aside to cool – they will self seal
6. Hot pickle variation: add a 1/4″ cube of fresh horseradish and 1/2 small jalepeno

Note: Yeah, I realize that these days all the books tell you that you have to do the hot water bath. But my family has been eating these pickles for 40 years and no one’s ever died from them yet.

So I assembled my supplies, sterilized the jars and got ready to pickle (doesn't that just sound like so much fun!?)

Getting the ingredients together.

My results thus far look promising.  I also had a quarts worth of bush and dragon beans, so I said what the he**, I'll pickle those, too. I ended up with only 5 quarts worth of good quality cukes, so I saved the rest of the brine and will preserve the new cukes as they ripen. Easy peasy.

A couple of the finished pickles - one cucumber, one beans!

What should I pickle next? 

When Life Gives You Lavender, Make Limeade

Living in Southern California does have its perks, and the lovely, long growing season for many flowers and the number and variety of citrus that flourishes here is one of them.

When we needed to re-landscape our front yard (which is actually more like a big circular area under a large, old pine), we planted drought tolerant plants - and that included about 40 or so Lavender plants, both English and Spanish. Our bees LOVE the Lavender plants (as much as they love all the citrus), and their love affair with this plant infuses their honey with a faint, incredibly yummy, herbal flavor.

This month, the Lavender plants are covered in beautiful purple flowers - and if I go out and wander among the plants during this time, I can imagine myself in Provence (even though I've never been there) simply by inhaling the distinctive aroma of the blooms. So I decided to bring some of that loveliness inside and make Lavender simple syrup to infuse homemade lemon/limeade.

Of all of our citrus trees, my favorite is the large Palestinian Lime tree that a previous owner ingeniously planted right above our leach field. I NEVER have to water this tree, and the limes it produces are incredibly sweet - better than any Meyer Lemon in the world. Fully ripe when they are yellow, these limes are so sweet and juicy we've used them for Key Lime Pie to great results! But I think one of my favorite uses of this wonderful juice, is to make icy cold limeade on hot summer days.

... and Lavender infused limeade is even better!

LAVENDER INFUSED SIMPLE SYRUP

Cut about a dozen blooms from the English Lavender plant.

Place a cup and a half of water and the Lavender buds in a small saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Add 3 cups of sugar, and dissolve. Continue to simmer, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.

Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes to cool and infuse.

Strain the mixture through cheesecloth into whatever container you wish to store the syrup in, and refrigerate for up to a week.

EASY, SINGLE SERVING LAVENDER LIMEADE (OR LEMONADE)

Choose a lovely, ripe Palestinian Lime or sweet lemon. Cut in half through the middle, set aside.

Fill your glass with ice, and juice 1/2 of the lime or lemon into the glass. If you like more tart limeade, add more juice to taste. Add about 3-4 tablespoons of the syrup, or to your personal sweet tooth. Fill with cold water to the top of the glass. Stir well (the syrup likes to stay at the bottom of the glass until stirred), garnish if you wish, and serve!

Close your eyes, and you'll instantly be transported to Provence...

So, so, good.