Picking a Pickle
One of the many things I really enjoy is a good homemade pickle. My mother, both grandmothers and one great-grandmother were all pickle makers. There were jars and crocks in their root cellars, basements or pantries next to the other home-canned foods. All the standard flavors like dill, bread & butter and sweet pickles were there. Those ladies were always trading pickles and critiquing each others recipes. I remember family dinners and backyard barbecues where folks would bring relish trays to show off their pickles. As a matter of fact, I’m actually eating a ham sandwich with a home-made pickle on the side as I am writing this article.
Making pickles from scratch is a lot of work. You need some special canning equipment, a lot of time and a little know-how. Most people would rather just pick some up at the grocery store, and let’s face it there are some really good store-bought pickles out there. I make my own pickles and I also go one step further by pickling a few other vegetables too. Asparagus, green beans, cauliflower, red peppers, jalapeno peppers, onions are all wonderful when pickled. I’m going to show you the quick and easy way to enjoy some home-made pickles and other things.
About now you are asking yourself “Why in the world is Wayne showing off these goodies with a picture of the inside of an old refrigerator?” Well, this is actually the beer refrigerator in my garage. The pickles live here because they are “refrigerator pickles”. Unlike regular pickles, refrigerator pickles don’t need processing in a hot water bath. This means that they must be kept refrigerated. You can make a batch in just a couple of hours and all you need is some cucumbers, seasoning mix, vinegar, water, sugar (for sweet or bread & butter pickles), a large stock pot, some Mason jars and of course a refrigerator. They will be ready to eat in just a few days. TIPS: Try to find pickling cucumbers as they are grown specifically for pickles. Fresh dill, garlic cloves or peppercorns can be added to the jars also. Vegetables like green beans and asparagus need to be blanched for a few minutes before loading into jars.
I use a product called MRS. WAGES® Refrigerator Pickle Mix. The refrigerator mix comes in Polish Dill, Kosher Dill, Sweet, and Bread & Butter flavors. This company also makes mixes for traditional pickles, quick process pickles and a few other things like preserves and tomato sauces. Click HERE to visit their website. If you decide to order some of these mixes, make sure you order the “refrigerator mix”. They can be found about halfway down on the pickle page.
The kosher dill flavor is my favorite and is also tagged as a best seller. I use it for pickles, green beans, asparagus, onions, and red or green peppers. I like the bread & butter mix for pickles, jalapenos and onions like Vidalia, Walla-Walla or other sweet hybrids.
