Ice Box Pickles

Our garden has been producing a nice amount of cucumbers for it's size. I had quite a few in the fridge and wanted to make some pickles but didn't quite have enough to go through the whole canning process.  I decided to try my hand at making a batch of ice box pickles. Some people may call them refrigerator pickles. I looked online and found a simple recipe to try. I made a few variations to better suit me and oh my..they are good! My husband said they are the best pickles he's ever had and to not bother making anything else. With that,  I'd say they were a success! I've since made two batches of these pickles. The second time I made them I had a little pickle juice left in the jar (Yes, I drank quite a bit of the juice..) so I just added to what was already there, plus made a second jar.

This is a very simple recipe that is quick to throw together. It's easy to adjust if you want to make a smaller batch. This is also a great way to enjoy fresh cucumbers out of your garden if you aren't comfortable with canning yet.The pickles can be eaten right away but of course they are more flavorful after a day or two. They will keep well in the ice box for weeks but trust me, they won't last that long!

Ingredients needed:

10-12 pickling cucumbers
4 cups water
2 cups of white vinegar
2 tablespoons of pure salt (I use pink salt)
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 big bunch of fresh dill (Or dried dill. I've used both depending on availability in my garden)
3 crushed heads of garlic (or  to taste)
Course ground pepper (to taste)

This will make approx 2-3 quarts of pickles depending on the size of your cucumbers.


Directions:

-Wash and slice your cucumbers. We prefer ours sliced somewhat thick. Set aside.

-Start your brine..combine water, vinegar, salt and sugar in a pot. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

-Add your cucumbers to the jars. Be careful not to over pack so there's plenty of room for the brine and herbs. Divide your dill, garlic and  pepper into each jar. More pepper and garlic really creates a great flavor. I put 2 heads of garlic and two good pinches of pepper per jar. Pour the cooled brine into the jars, covering the cucumbers and herbs completely.

-Put your lids on your jars and pop them in the fridge.

That's it! Super simple and so good. You could also add jalapenos in with your cucumbers if you want a little heat. 

I hope you give them a try. Enjoy!!

"For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things."

                                                    Psalm 107:9

"...How does your garden grow?"

We've always kept a garden. My very first blog posts spoke of how I remember walking through the garden as a little girl. Growing up, I remember my mom and grandma canning and "putting up" the harvest from our gardens. That is something I continued as a keeper of my own home. My husband, kids and I have always enjoyed gardening and we're excited to have the opportunity to grow things once again.

Over the years we have had big gardens, multiple small gardens, raised bed gardens...we would grow things however and where-ever we could. Here, at our little rent house, we have wide massive views but don't have much yard space. We've still managed to put in a few beds for vegetables, herbs and some flowers. We have been enjoying fresh squash and cucumbers galore! There isn't much better than a fresh cucumber right off the vine. We are finally getting some tomatoes, so little cherry tomatoes have been a regular at lunch time.

It has been so nice to be able to end our day walking around our little yard, watering the garden, enjoying the breeze and taking in the beautiful views. Hearing nothing but the wind blowing and the crickets chirping. Simple pleasures..

"He who shares joy in what he's grown, spreads joy abroad and doubles his own."

                                                                         ~Unknown 

Learning how to keep house, again.

   It's funny how you forget to do things..baking a recipe you used to be able make in your sleep, keeping the house organized even with your kid's constant messes, stocking a fridge and pantry for more than a week's worth of meals.. But that's what I've done. I've forgotten how to do these things and am having to find my way again like a young newlywed just learning to keep house.

Where do I begin? How do I fill you in on the last few years in one blog post? The last time I made an entry we were beginning a new chapter in our lives at our new-old farm in Oklahoma. Now, here we are beginning anew for the third time in four years. I'm not complaining, just blown away. Let's catch up..We purchased our farm in the Spring of 2015 with plans to renovate the 19th century home and barns, turning the old place into the farm of our dreams. We parked our RV out front and started clearing out and cleaning up. Renovations were slow seeing that we were mostly doing the work ourselves, only contracting out some of the bigger projects, and we were working on things as money allowed. We worked, we made friends we enjoyed life. Fast forward to Fall of 2017..work relocates us to Northeastern Kentucky! At this point we haven't finished the renovation or "moved in" but onward we must go. It was a bit exciting to go someplace new, see new places, experience mountain life..but, it was sad to leave friends and say goodbye to our dream. We got the husband settled in at a "temporary" one bedroom furnished apartment until we could find a little farm somewhere to make our home. The kids and I joined him a few months later. In the apartment. I had dreams of finding a little cabin in the hills with an old tobacco barn out back. We searched and searched but never found a place we felt comfortable buying. Living all the while in the little apartment in the heart of the historic arts district in town. What an adjustment for our family.. town life with our free range farm kids! We stayed there for a year until work relocated us again. Now here we are, renting a little farmhouse in West Texas. What an adventure these last few years have been. We've stretched ourselves and have grown in so many ways we never would have if we'd never stepped out and left our little nest in late 2014.

So, we are living in a house for the first time in years. We have experienced RV and tiny apartment living which was a completely new twist on homemaking for me. Where we used to buy and store food in bulk, grow/harvest/put up our own produce, butcher our own meat.. I found myself buying a tiny amount of groceries at a time, once or twice a week. "Cleaning house" took minutes in those small spaces. The kid's belongings were minimal in our tight quarters, which meant less to keep organized. I did little to no baking because camper and apartment ovens leave much to be desired. You know that saying, "If you don't use it, you lose it?" Well, I lost it. We've been in this house for a couple of weeks now and it seems that I have been running around in circles so much that I catch myself from behind. Laundry, sweeping, dishes, dusting, picking up.. then there's baking and cooking recipes that I haven't made in so long that I've forgotten how. Sometimes I just stop and ask myself "How did I do that?" It's really weird. But it's all slowly coming back to me. It's nice to have our "stuff" back that has been in storage for years. I have to admit that much of that "stuff" found its way to the dumpster. It's amazing how much you can actually live without. But it is really nice to end the day sitting in the living room with my husband on our comfy chairs and enjoy a cup of coffee. As I sink back into the life of a country homemaker, I'm finding joy in the simple things I once did. It's so nice and we are so blessed.

We look forward to seeing where this winding road we call life will lead us next and I hope to find more things to blog about in the future. Blessings to you and yours, from ours.