Now that we're past the Fourth of July it is time for gardens and their hoped for bounty to take front stage.
So I've got cucumbers! OK they're not the prettiest cucumbers I've ever seen. And they are not enough for pickles, but it is good to finally have freshly picked produce to define the day's dinner. We've had green beans for three weeks. Picked three tomatoes -- OK I cheated on this one and bought a pot tomato plant with a couple of fruits already set. They've ripened at least two weeks ahead of the Early Girl. Mighty tasty, too. The other vines are coming along. My favorite heirloom Brandywine has lots of baby tomatoes growing toward their one-pound harvest size. Summer squash are taking their time getting going. Only have male blossoms. Humph.
Weather seems to be cooperating-- finally. Not boiling hot, suitably humid, with an inch of rain once a week or so. I do water the garden.. from the uneven diameter of those cucumbers, I could probably to a better job.
There are lots more coming. And the Clear Lake Farmer's Market, held every Saturday from 9 to noon in the Surf parking lot, is a good source for goodies as well.
I'll put up some pickles. If you get a hankering for an easy to make small batch pickle here's a different and delicious recipe from my newest book Stirring the Pot with Benjamin Franklin.
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| Franklin famously wrote of the importance of pickles to healthy eating in Poor Richard's Almanac that " Squeamish stomachs cannot eat without pickles." And the corollary that "Hunger is the best pickle." This easy to make recipe covers both situations. |
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| The recipe from the 1700s combines fresh ginger root with sliced cucumbers for a tasty pickle. Put into sterilized jars (you can use your dishwasher for this) and store in the refrigerator for a month or so.. if they last that long. |
Ben Franklin's Cucumbers Pickled in Slices
3 cucumbers, about 8 inches in length
1 medium onion
2 tablespoons salt
1 1/4 cups apple cider vinegar or white while vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
One piece of fresh ginger root, about 2 inches by 1/2 inch, peeled and cu into thin matchsticks.
Wash the cucumbers and cut them into slices about 1/8 inch thick. Peel the onion, cut in half lengthwise, and then cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Layer the cucumber and onion slices in a non-reactive bowl, sprinkling salt between the layers. Cover and let stand in a cool place for 2 hours.
Drain off the accumulated juices. Pour the vinegar over the vegetables and continue to let stand in a cool place for another 4 hours.
Drain the vinegar into a saucepan, add the mace and peppercorns, and bring to a boil. Divide the cucumbers and sliced fresh ginger between two hot, sterilized pint canning jars. Carefully pour the boiling vinegar over the cucumbers. Put lids and screw bands on the jars and let stand in a cool place for 2 or 3 days, shaking occasionally. As the original 1717 recipe said: "In two or three days they will be fit to eat." Store in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Makes 2 pints.
Copyright 2018 Rae Katherine Eighmey All rights reserved
And for tips on growing good cucumbers, this link to Good Housekeeping has some tips and a list of seeds to look for to plant next year.
