Katie wrote:I can't see this thread title pop up without thinking of Engelbert Humperdinck.

Seriously though, I've got plenty of gift cucumbers on hand and am reviewing this thread for ideas, starting at the beginning with smashed cucumber salad.

LOL! Let's face it, that's pretty much what he meant.

And yes, smashed cucumber salad sounds wonderful.

=R=

As I suspected, these fermented garlic dills did not take long. 10 days and they were ready. Pulled them out of the crock today . . .


Fermented Garlic Dill Pickles
I swear there are more here than I started with. Is it possible they fermented and multiplied?


Jarred Up
At least one of these jars is going to a friend's house. I'll probably keep a few but I have a lot more pickling cucumbers coming in later this week.

=R=

Three more pounds of beautiful pickling cukes and some pristine dill arrived today (from Nichols Farm). Deployed some more of our small but mighty homegrown garlic and got another batch of garlic dills going . . .


Mise En Place & Kuwabara White #2 Tall Petty, 115mm
Spices (black mustard seeds, yellow mustard seeds, fennel seeds, gochugaru, black peppercorns), horseradish leaves, homegrown garlic, pickling cucumbers (washed and trimmed of their blossom ends), slitted jalapenos, flowering dill and pickling salt (later combined with distilled water to create a 3% brine).

Simmered the spices briefly in a portion of the water, let it steep and cool off. After that, casually layered the cukes, garlic, dill and horseradish leaves (which supposedly help maintain pickle crispness) into the pickling crock, placed the weights to hold everything down and poured in the spice water, along with enough brine to cover just past the weights. No need to check these for at least a week but I'll be keeping a close eye on the collar of the crock and adding water as necessary to make sure a seal is maintained.

=R=