I love waking up in the cool of the morning before the heat of the summer bares down, sapping me of precious energy. I brew a cup of coffee and step out of my front door while still in my pajamas. My front door leads into my moms beautiful back yard that is more like a garden oasis with little cobblestone pathways meandering around fruit trees and koi ponds. In the morning at first light everything is fresh and dewy and beckons me to stroll along the garden, inspecting every rose and cascading petunia. I nip off the spent flower heads by snapping it off between my thumb and forefinger.

I notice that the tomato vine is starting to fall over so with my coffee still in one hand I gently tie up a stray vine along the trellis. I snap the tops off the basil bush that is growing as high as my knee, trying to discourage the flower from blooming thus prolonging its usability. The next thing I know, I am up to my elbows in the cucumber vine looking for the hiding fruit.

This year I planted both the traditional green cucumber and the “lemon cucumber” variety. The lemon cucumber is round with a yellow tinge outside when it is fully ripe. I emerge from the vine with a bowl full of cucumbers and the itchy skin that comes with a tossle in the cucumber patch. I head to my kitchen to preserve a little bit of this perfect summer day in a jar in the form of pickles. I would say I preserve them so I can enjoy summertime this winter when I open a jar. But at the rate we keep eating these delicious little spheres there won’t be any left to enjoy this winter! I am happy to share with you my favorite pickle recipe so far!

Cucumber hanging on the vine — Cucumber hanging on the Vine

Sweet & Spicy Pickles

You will need:
4 quantity 1 quart jars, new lids and jar rings
Tongs
Large pot with lid for processing jars

Pre-soak: (allow 2 hours ahead of time)
3 pounds cucumbers (any kind will work) sliced into 1/3 inch thick rounds.
1/2 cup pickling salt (I use grey sea salt, any salt that does not have iodine is good)
6 cups water

Brine:
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Place in each jar:
4 teaspoons mustard seed or pickling spice
Whole cloves
4 cloves roughly chopped garlic
4 dried red cayenne chilis

Slice cucumbers, make sure to discard ends, these may make your pickles soggy because of an enzyme present at the blossom end of the cucumbers. Place sliced cucumbers in a bowl with water and salt. Allow to soak for 2 hours before you start the pickling process.

Cucumbers sliced and prepped for making homemade sweet pickles

Start water boiling in large pot, Sterilize jars and lids by dipping them into the boiling water for a few minutes. Pull them out with tongs and line them up to start preparing them for the pickles. Meanwhile get the brine (vinegars, sugar and turmeric) started in another pot and bring to a boil.

Sweet pickle brine made of vinegars, sugar and tumeric

While you are waiting for that to boil, fill each jar with mustard seed or pickiling spice (1 teaspoon each if you are using a 1 quart jar) Place a cayenne pepper, a whole clove and 1 clove of garlic in each jar.

Prepping the jars with spices to start cold packing

Rinse the salt water off the cucumbers and fill bowl with clean water while you are working with each jar. Fill each jar with the slices of cucumbers until jar is full up to 1/4 inch from the top. Pour brine into each cucumber filled jar. Top with a lid and ring and submerge into large pot with boiling water, water should cover the jar by 1/2 inch. Process for 10 minutes.

Remove and allow to rest, you should hear the lids suck down after a hour or so. By the next day all lids should be sucked down. When you tap on the lid there should be no downward movement. Enjoy!!!

For More “Homestead” Articles see our Archive stories:

The Beginning of a Blog (Published May 18, 2017)

The Cherry Tree (Published May 20, 2017)

How to Roast Your Own Coffee Beans (Published May 22, 2017)

Successful Square Foot Gardening (Published May 23, 2017)

Yosemite (Published June 7, 2017)

My Tiny House (Published June 15, 2017)

Making Noyaux (French Bitter Almond Extract from Stone fruit pits) Published August 7, 2017)

Sweet & Spicy Pickles (Published July 21, 2017

Classic Canned Peaches (Published August 6, 2018)