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Brandywinegirl
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- Location: East Coast
Cucumber Plants Went Cuckoo This Year!
I used worm castings, Sea Magic and Seaweed/Fish fertilizer for the first time this year. So far I have been very successful. The pickle and Pearl cukes are so prolific so I made 7 quarts of cucumbers! The Armenian and Lemon Cucumbers haven't even started to grow. I may need to set up a farmstand! How is everyone else's cukes doing?
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jal_ut
- Super Green Thumb
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- Location: Northern Utah Zone 5
Beautiful!
Mine have vined out good are blooming, but no fruit yet. Won't be long though. I expect this week.
We usually make some dill pickles, sweet pickles, and relish when they come on.
Can you get recipes from the extension service? Our extension has loads of recipes plus canning info. The Ball Blue Book is another good source.
Mine have vined out good are blooming, but no fruit yet. Won't be long though. I expect this week.
We usually make some dill pickles, sweet pickles, and relish when they come on.
Can you get recipes from the extension service? Our extension has loads of recipes plus canning info. The Ball Blue Book is another good source.
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JayPoc
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- Location: Virginia, The mountains Zone 6a/6b
For the less industrious, the premade packets from Ball make darn good pickles. I usually use that and augment with a little fresh garlic, hot pepper, and/or dill (in various combinations) with great results. Another thing. I MUCH prefer the "fresh pack" method and do that whenever I can. They are far superior to the "processed" (cooked) pickles.jal_ut wrote:Beautiful!
Mine have vined out good are blooming, but no fruit yet. Won't be long though. I expect this week.
We usually make some dill pickles, sweet pickles, and relish when they come on.
Can you get recipes from the extension service? Our extension has loads of recipes plus canning info. The Ball Blue Book is another good source.
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mtgarden gal
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- Location: Southern Montana
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JayPoc
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- Joined: Wed Nov 28, 2012 12:00 pm
- Location: Virginia, The mountains Zone 6a/6b
Fresh pack is not for long term preservation and requires refrigeration. You basically make up your hot brine, pour it over the cukes in a clean jar, seal, and keep in the fridge. They'll keep for 3 months or so.mtgarden gal wrote:Hi, I hope to make some dill pickles out of my cucumber harvest this summer. Having never done any kind of canning before, I was wondering what JAYPOC meant and the difference between "cooked/processed" and "fresh packed" methods?
Thanks!
If you process them in a boiling water bath, they can then be stored in the pantry for a year or more. This processing cooks the pickles and gives you a different consistency in the finished product.
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mtgarden gal
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- Location: Southern Montana
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Brandywinegirl
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- Location: East Coast
Thanks!! 
That's what I made - the refrigerator Bread & Butter Pickles. They last for 2 months and you can eat them after a week. I got my recipe from The Food Network. JayPoc I will have to try the Ball mix - I am currently using spices. I havent made dill pickles yet! The Armenian & Lemon cukes are not quite there yet - I may try the dills with them.
That's what I made - the refrigerator Bread & Butter Pickles. They last for 2 months and you can eat them after a week. I got my recipe from The Food Network. JayPoc I will have to try the Ball mix - I am currently using spices. I havent made dill pickles yet! The Armenian & Lemon cukes are not quite there yet - I may try the dills with them.
I exclusively do refrigerator dill pickles now, no more canning.....I don't like how the finished product ends up mushy. How do the commercial pickle makers get their dill pickles to stay crunchy......I never figured that one out....anyway, I make up a big brine, and I have a glass lid gallon jug, and I fill it and leave it in my fridge until the pickles are all gone......
brine is basically 2 cupe vinegar, 2 cups water, 2 tbs pickling salt, 6 cloves garlic, 4 heads dill. Heat the liquids and salt until salt dissolves (add pickling spices if desired). I let the liquid cool a bit, then add it to my prepacked 1 gallon glass top jar that is full of scrubbed, and ends cut off cukes, dill, and garlic. I let them sit in the fridge for a couple of days before eating them. They are always nice and crunchy. As more cukes come in from the garden, I just scrubb and nip off the ends, and drop them into the jug with whatever is still in there. It typically lasts in my refrigerator until around Thanksgiving......by then I'm kind of out of summertime bbq and pickle mode anyway.
brine is basically 2 cupe vinegar, 2 cups water, 2 tbs pickling salt, 6 cloves garlic, 4 heads dill. Heat the liquids and salt until salt dissolves (add pickling spices if desired). I let the liquid cool a bit, then add it to my prepacked 1 gallon glass top jar that is full of scrubbed, and ends cut off cukes, dill, and garlic. I let them sit in the fridge for a couple of days before eating them. They are always nice and crunchy. As more cukes come in from the garden, I just scrubb and nip off the ends, and drop them into the jug with whatever is still in there. It typically lasts in my refrigerator until around Thanksgiving......by then I'm kind of out of summertime bbq and pickle mode anyway.