In a Pickle? You Should Be!

With the onset of summer comes lots and lots of cucumbers! Our field is currently at its highest production which means lots of cucumbers and lots of opportunity for making pickles!

Pickles are a simple and healthy snack to have around the house. Pickles contain tons of nutrients like iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, vitamin B-12, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, and vitamin K just to name a few! I actually Googled “Health benefits of pickles” and so much stuff came up it wouldn’t fit in this little post. You can read the article I found by clicking the link if you are really interested about the history and nutrition of pickles. I found it to be a fascinating read:

https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/other/health-benefits-of-pickles.html

What most people don’t know is that pickles are really easy to make yourself! I have always been a fan of pickles. Personally, I prefer dill pickles. Since I grew my own cucumbers this year I decided to try and make my own. I found a simple recipe online and in three days I had my own homemade pickles.

All you need is vinegar, salt, sugar, dill, garlic, any other seasonings you like, and some delicious, fresh Piedmont Produce cucumbers of course!

First I added 3 ½ cups of water, 1 ¼ cups of white vinegar, 1 tablespoon of salt, and ½ a tablespoon of sugar (you can add more if you want more sweetness. I prefer salty), to a saucepan and brought it to a boil on high heat. Let it boil for a bit then allow it to cool.

While the brine is cooling, cut up your cucumbers into spears. I used three decent sized cucumbers. Put them in a jar with a lid and add your seasonings. I used dill weed and garlic powder. I’m sure it would be better if you used fresh dill and garlic but we don’t grow that in the greenhouse…yet.  Feel free to get creative with the seasonings! Being from Maryland, my next batch will have some Old Bay and maybe some jalapeno for kick. I’ll keep you posted on how they turn out.

Once the brine is cooled enough, pour it into the jar with your sliced cucumbers and seasoning. Put the lid on, give it a good shake and stick it in the fridge. Then comes the easy part, just wait three days. I continued to shake mine whenever I made it to the fridge just to make sure the seasonings were mixing in the jar. I’m not sure if it made a difference or not, but it made sense to me.

After three days in the fridge you’re ready to enjoy a healthy snack that you made! Mine turned out great and my next batch will be ready tonight. I can’t wait!

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