Pickles!!

Yesterday was pickle day. I made 3 kinds of pickles and will actually be making more today. This is a picture of my pickles that I am fermenting. I am trying this for the first time this year. The jar is layered with grape leaves, cukes, garlic, onion, peppercorns, and dill. You then make a salt water brine to pour over them. I filled a pint jar with water and it is sitting in the mouth of this jar to hold everything down under the brine. This will sit on the counter for a few days and then I will put it in the fridge.

The recipe called for black peppercorns. This is the only peppercorns I had. I think they are so pretty. :)

These are going to be regular dill pickles. We found a recipe that we really like and make lots of those because we love them. The bowl you see is catching the whey that is draining from my cheddar cheese in the press.

These are crock pickles. I used to make a lot of these. You put all the ingredients in a crock or jar. They sit out for about a week and then you put them in jars in the fridge. I don't make lots of them any more because I don't have the fridge room. I made them with stevia instead of sugar this year. I hope they turn out.

Crock Pickles

4 Tblsp. Pickling spice
½ cup Salt
2 Tblsp. Dry mustard
½ tsp. Cayenne
½ to 1 cup sugar ( I use organic cane crystals – it just depends on how sweet you like them)
4 cloves of garlic
1 quart plus 1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 quarts water.
1 Vidalia or sweet onion cut up
2 to 3 sprigs of dill

Put all the above in crock or jar. Add pickles until you can’t add anymore and have them be totally under the brine.

Cover and stir every day for 4 to 6 days. Put in jar and keep in fridge