My First Pickling Adventure

Back in June, I went on vacation to Florida to visit family. While I was there my sister-in law Polly taught me how to make Garlic Dill Pickles and Bread and Butter Pickles. Making the pickles didn’t look that hard however, I didn’t think they would be cost effective for me since her cucumbers came from her garden and I would have to purchase them. I enjoyed learning to make them but never got her recipe. All I knew was that she had gotten the recipes from youtube.

A week or so ago a friend of mine, Karin asked me if I would like some cucumbers. I told her yes of course and told her how I learned how to can the cucumbers. I was able to visit her at her home up in the beautiful mountains. We walked through her garden chatting (just as women like to do) looking at all the different types of vegetables her mother and her planted. They were just all so beautiful. Karin and I had the opportunity (while the children played) to just sit on her front porch and talk. It was so enjoyable to relax and visit with a friend in the fresh air of the mountains.

Back to my pickling adventure. Karin gave me a basket full of cucumbers and other vegetables. I thought that this would be a good time to try my hands at pickling. I called Polly for the recipe however, she was unable to find the tablet she had written it in. So, off to the web I went. I had the visual part of making the pickles still in my head from Polly and the recipes on youtube was not ringing a bell. I decided to do a hit and miss batch of Garlic Dill pickles. They ended up being Dill because the Garlic I had was bad. I still thought it was a good thing because I had used all organic ingredients. I have to admit, I was very frustrated and almost gave up. After a long break and Polly coming to my rescue on facebook, I started making the Bread and Butter pickles. It was easy. All the visual memories from Polly’s came back. It makes me feel better now that I didn’t give up. Now I can say, I did it and they taste good too! Now, I am looking forward to having my own garden next year.