Yesterday, in an effort to escape the heat and feel like we were accomplishing something, My Girl and I headed to our local thrift store. It’s a big, airy old warehouse, and even though there is no air conditioning, it is always pleasantly cool and breezy. The mission was to get baskets, lots of them. The usage would include storing misc. stuff around the house in them, and also to use them to give gifts of veggies from my garden. Since the thrift shop charges 50 cents to $3 for them, this is quite affordable. And it’s so nice to give veggies in a basket with a little vintage towel underneath. So sweet!
Mission accomplished.
Here are a few that we came home with.
Pretty nice, huh?
And see what’s peeking out there on top?
Take a closer look.
Yup, a wire chicken basket. Corny, yes, but I have wanted one for some unknown reason and have been searching for a while now. For $1.50, I snatched it up.
Also, look further down in the pile.
I picked up a big ‘ole metal colander, which, on the spur of the moment, I thought might look cute in the garden with some annuals planted in it.
Speaking of the garden, as I had predicted, we ARE up to our ears in pickles.
But this is not such a bad thing.
At first, I made bread and butter refrigerator pickles. Although my family liked them, they were waaayyy too sweet for me. When I think of pickles, I think of the pickles of my childhood. We used to go to a place called Stern’s Pickle Works.
It was a cool old building with a wooden floor and big barrels of the most delicious, garlicky pickles I have ever had. I wanted to recreate THOSE pickles in a refrigerator pickle recipe.
I think I may have done it!
Would you like the recipe?
Good, I was hoping you would say yes!
Refrigerator Garlic Dill Cucumber Pickles
* Fresh Dill
*Pickle Sized Cucumbers (cut into spears)
*Chopped Fresh Garlic (don't be stingy!)
*1 tbsp. pickling spice
*Crushed dried red hot pepper to taste (I omitted this, but if you like things spicy - go for it!)
*Brine - 3/4 cp. distilled white vinegar
*4 tbsp. Kosher salt to each qt. of water
In a gallon jar (ingredients can be divided up into smaller jars if needed), layer fresh dill on the bottom and lots of chopped fresh garlic, 1 tbsp. pickling spice, some crushed red pepper. Pack in pickle spears, then add more dill.
For the brine, combine 3/4 cup distilled white vinegar and 4 tablespoons of Kosher salt to each quart of water that has been boiled and cooled first.
Poor brine over pickles, filling up to top of jar.
Refrigerate. Pickles will stay good for several months.
Hope you enjoy them.
Keep cool and keep dreaming...
xoxoxox
