Canning Dill Pickles

It's hard to believe that August is coming to a close. The shorter days are definitely more noticeable and shutting the windows at night has become routine. This week has been very busy with preserving food from the garden. At this time of year when daily pickings are a must, and there is only so much food that can be eaten when fresh - especially when there are only two of us in the household now, excess produce must either be given away or preserved. The three main ways of preserving are freezing, canning or drying. I typically freeze berries, green beans, and sometimes hot peppers. I would love some day to get a dehydrator, but until I do, I only dry herbs. This leaves canning, which I have to admit is not one of my favorite past-times. It takes a lot of convincing to myself to get out and clean all the utensils, knowing the work ahead. However, once all the preparation has been done, it is very satisfying to see the results and know that we will be able to appreciate the garden long into winter. This week I spent three nights canning pickles, salsa and chutney. This post is devoted to pickles. I will describe my salsa and chutney recipes in a later post.

If you don't have a lot of time, but have an abundance of fresh cucumbers, making pickles can be a relatively simple process. As a child I remember cucumbers sitting in a crock in our kitchen for weeks as my father made polish dill pickles. This method, always yielded delicious results, but it involved some special equipment and was time consuming, taking five to six weeks. I have never tried it. I instead opt for making refrigerator and/or quick process pickles. Pure refrigerator pickles are the easiest to make and are a good option if you don't have much time and plan on eating your pickles quickly. If you want to store your pickles longer than a couple months, then you can quick process them in a boiling water canner. I made both types this week. It is easy to find recipes for refrigerator pickles on the internet and although the ingredients are very similar, I found the ratios differed as well as the curing times (a day to 2 weeks), and the stated maximum storage length (2 weeks to 3 months.) It is a matter of personal preference as to how long you want the pickles to cure before eating; and, as far as storage, I recommend not making more than you can eat or give away within a couple months. If you chose to process in a boiling water canner, the pickles can be stored for up to a year.

Refrigerator Pickles (5 pints)

Fresh cucumbers (about 5 pounds)

2 cups white vinegar

2 cups water

6 tablespoons canning salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons pickling spice

several sprigs of fresh dill

2 teaspoons mustard seed

1 teaspoon peppercorns

In a saucepan combine the vinegar, water, salt, sugar and pickling spice. Bring to a boil and simmer for ten minutes. Slice the cucumbers lengthwise into spears. Divide remaining spices equally and add to sterilized jars. Pack jars tightly with cucumbers, leaving at least 1/2 inch space at the top of each jar. Poor hot liquid into jars, completely covering cucumbers. Apply lids and refrigerate.  Note: some recipes recommend soaking the pickles first in cold water.

Fresh Refrigerator Pickles

I read on the internet that for longer storage time, these pickles can be processed in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes. I instead chose a dill pickle recipe from the tried and true Ball Blue Book.  

Dill Pickles (3 quarts) 

8 pounds cucumbers washed and sliced lengthwise

3/4 cup sugar 

1/2 cup canning salt

1 quart vinegar

1 quart water

3 tablespoons mixed pickling spices

3 heads of fresh or dried dill

Combine sugar, salt, vinegar and water in pot. Tie pickling spices in cheescloth and add to mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Pack cucumbers into hot sterilized jars. Add one head dill. Pour hot liquid over cucumbers, leaving 1/4 inch head space, remove air bubbles by pushing a knife down into the liquid. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner.

The recipes above can be adjusted based upon the quantity of cucumbers that you will be pickling. And, always use pickles that are freshly picked and firm. 

Hot Processed Dill Pickles

Fungi Along the Appalachian Trail

On Sunday my friend Sue and I hiked the Appalachian Trail in Maine to bag two more 4000 footers - South and North Crocker. We had also intended to summit Mount Reddington, but this required some off-trail navigation skills; and, in spite of a brand new hiking GPS, we never found the trail, but did realize that we were instead following the Appalachian Trail corridor boundary. Upon this discovery, we worked our way back through the thicket to rejoin the AT, hiked over to North Crocker, where a gray jay flew next to me upon hearing my whistle. A quick snack, then back down the trail, over South Crocker for the third time, making it back to the parking just before dark.

Most wildflowers have passed by mid-August, but their beauty is replaced by a wide variety of mushrooms which come in all different shapes, colors and sizes. It's truly a fascination of nature. Click on the photo for a slide show sampling from my hike.

Hiking South and North Crocker Mountains 

Stonyfield Farm Tests Edible Packaging

 

I am proud to live near the home of Stoneyfield Organics, a long time supporter of organic farming, and in my opinion, the best tasting yogurt around.  Here is an article on a new product they have developed in collaboration with WikiFoods which comes in its own edible packaging.

Stonyfield Collaborates with Wikifoods to Sell Package Free Yogurt

Although frozen yogurt wrapped in an edible coating is not really package free yogurt; and, looking at the photo, there are still some packaging issues; it is a unique concept and a step in the right direction. Although they are not sold in New Hampshire stores yet, I will certainly give them a try when they are.

Buckwheat as a Cover Crop

Farmers plant cover crops to prevent erosion and to help rejuvenate the soil. Cover crops can also be planted in small back yard gardens for the same purpose. By going to your local feed or garden supply store, you can most likely purchase seed in as small a quantity as you would like. There are many choices for cover crops. This year I chose buckwheat to fill in some bare patches.  It grows quickly, tolerates poor soil conditions, and will not overtake the garden. An added benefit is its pretty white flowers which pollinators love. I planted some seed in my old strawberry patch amongst sunflowers. This time of year it is about three feet tall, looks pretty and has helped reduce other weeds.

Although I am not a fan of buckwheat flour and have never liked kasha,(roasted buckwheat groats) I learned some interesting facts about the usefulness of this crop (Fagopyrum esculentum.) Buckwheat has been cultivated as a crop for around 8000 years. Buckwheat seeds resemble a smaller version of beech tree seeds and are sometimes called "beech wheat." As a cereal grain, it is rich in zinc, manganese, copper and potassium. There have also been numerous studies on the health benefits of buckwheat from lowering blood glucose levels to lowering blood pressure. It can also be used in baking as an alternative flour for people with gluten sensitivity.

There is a Northeast Buckwheat Growers Association through Cornell University. If you want to learn more about growing buckwheat not just as a cover crop, you can attend the 2014 Buckwheat Field Day August 27th in Groveland, New York; or, to experience its culinary history, you can attend the Festival Sarrasin, October 3-12 in Louiseville, Quebec.

 
Source: Whole Grains Council.org and Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the

Buckwheat only a few days old

Buckwheat at four weeks

 

Boston GreenFest

It was beautiful weather on Saturday so we decided to head down to Boston's GreenFest, a multicultural music festival held at City Hall Plaza. Vendor displays ranging from the U.S. Forest Service to local garden centers; electric vehicles to solar installers; were surrounded by three stages filled with live music and performances by local artists.  It was a great day to go to the city and experience wonderful talent, delicious food, and learn about businesses working to develop a sustainable future.

Jo-Me Dance Company Performs at Boston GreenFest 

Artists create and display their work

Afterwards we couldn't resist a trip to Haymarket to purchase some fresh produce

Salad and Cobbler

It has been a relatively cool and damp summer. While not good for many crops, spring season vegetables such as lettuce and peas, have continued to deliver tender pickings into August. I am on my second harvest of radishes and peas, and the leaf lettuce has yet to bolt providing leaves which are not at all bitter.

Since I still had some fresh blueberries in the refrigerator, by request of my son, I made a cobbler this weekend. I am so glad I did - it made a perfect breakfast and dessert. 

Blueberry Cobbler

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup cold butter

1 egg slightly beaten

4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Sift flour, baking powder and spices in large bowl. Stir in brown sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add egg and mix. Pat 2/3 of dough into greased 13 x 9 pan. Bake at 375 degrees for five minutes. Cool slightly. Mix blueberries with sugar and cornstarch. Spread over crust, then sprinkle remaining crust over top. Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown. Cool before cutting.

 

Squash Bugs - Yuck!

Each year seems to bring conditions that favor at least one pest in the garden. Who hasn't had to deal with some kind of worm, beetle or other bug that can't wait to do destruction? After having an entire crop of zucchinis, then summer squash and pumpkins destroyed by squash bugs in a single season, I have learned that early intervention is key. This year, even before my zucchini plants had a chance to flower - I noticed eggs and nymph squash bugs on the underside of the leaves.

Eggs are layed on the underside of the leaves, the are hard and sticky

 

 Newly hatched nymphs

At this early stage, the bugs are easily destroyed with either a spray of soapy water or horticultural oil, or by simply squishing the bugs and eggs by hand. It can, however, sometimes be difficult to remove the eggs without damaging the plant, particularly if they are located at the base of the leaf where it connects to the stem.  If left alone, the nymphs will molt several times, gradually turning into large grey beetles, over 1/2 an inch long. They remind me of stink bugs that occasionally appear in and around our house in the fall.

Adult Squash Bug (photo: Old Farmers Almanac)

Squash bugs overwinter under leaf litter, rocks and logs. To prevent squash bugs from reoccurring next year, remove dead plants and any potential overwintering sites in the fall.  If they do appear in your garden, early intervention and checking the plants on an almost daily basis should be able to keep them under control and avoid catastrophic damage.

Cucumber Salad

Cucumbers are so refreshing and versatile. They can be enjoyed as an appetizer, salad, condiment and even as a dessert. I took this salad recipe and served it over lemon and raspberry sherbet, sprinkled with blueberries (just because I still have some in our yard and they added some nice color)

 Refreshing Cucumber Salad

2 cucumbers peeled and cubed
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped small
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoons chopped onion
Juice from 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon olive oil
Mix and chill for at least 1/2 hour before serving