The Smell of Late Summer!

Ahhh... Pickling time!! The end of summer is near. Although we're currently having record warm temperatures in central New York, we've had just enough cool, crisp days to remind me that fall is just around the corner. Of course, the groans of the kids heading out the door for their first day of school yesterday left no doubt. The warm, hazy days are almost at an end. But that also means that pickling time is here!

When I was a kid my mother spent many days at the end of each summer packing the bounty of our large garden into jars. For two or three weeks the whole house would have a sweetly tangy smell that emanated from the numerous batches of tomatoes, pickles and relishes that she sealed in her canner on the stove. My sister and I would help peel and chop the vegetables, but mostly she worked alone adding this spice and that, until the smells made us positively drool! Then all winter she would send us to get a jar or two off the heavily loaded shelves under the stairs, and we would open up the flavors of warmer days.

I was fortunate to have parents who loved to garden, and who had the space and time to do so. With my small yard, my garden usually only gives us enough to eat fresh. My poor kids have only tasted grocery store pickles! Horror!! But that's about to change. In four to six weeks we will get to taste my first experiment with canning my own pickles! Rest assured, it's not the first time I've canned something, so I had some idea of what I was doing. Hopefully they'll taste as good as they look!!

Following is the Ball Blue Book recipe for Bread and Butter Pickles that I used:

4 pounds 4- to 6- inch cucumbers, cut into 1/4 inch slices;
2 pounds onions, thinly sliced (about 8 small);
1/3 cup canning salt;
2 cups sugar;
2 Tablespoons mustard seed;
2 teaspoons turmeric;
2 teaspoons celery seed;
1 teaspoon ginger;
1 teaspoon peppercorns;
3 cups vinegar;

Combine cucumber and onion slices in a large bowl, layering with salt; cover with ice cubes. Let stand 1 1/2 hours. Drain; rinse; drain again. Combine remaining ingredients in a large saucepot; bring to a boil. Add drained cucumbers and onions and return to a boil. Pack hot pickles and liquid into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.