First cuke of the year

[duajones]

More bean seeds? My second sowing have just began flowering and Im already picking more than I can eat every day. They will be coming out of my ears here in another week or so

[Earl]

Chris,
Here's a great sour pickle recipe I found a long time back. I've made it before.

Forum Home Page: Archive Swap 40601-40700

[Ron} I've been looking for a recipe for the half
sour pickles like they serve in Jewish
delicatessens here in the eastern U.S. (and,
for all I know, everywhere else in the
world!) I've never been able to quite come
up with "it", if you know what I mean.
Then, just yesterday, the site champ in
my office (Steve P.) brought in a jar of his
Babci's (grandmother's) half sours, and
graciously gave me the recipe. These are
wonderful--and practically no work at all.
(Definitely MY kind of recipe!)
So, here's the recipe for:

BABCI'S HALF SOURS

BRINE:
10 cups water
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup salt
Combine and bring to a boil. Let cool.

Add to a 1-gallon jar:
2 to 3 tsp. dill seed (and fresh dill weed
if you have it!)
5 to 6 crushed garlic cloves
1 heaping Tbsp. pickling spice
10 to 20 pickling cucumbers

Top off jar with cooled brine. Ready in 2
to 3 days.

[duajones]

Here is another recipe that I have made several times

For a quart sized widemouthed canning jar
4-5 pickling cukes washed and sliced
1 cup vinegar
1 cup water ( I use distilled)
1.5 TBSP pickling salt
2 TBSP sugar (sometimes I dont use sugar)
1 TBSP dill seed
1 tsp mustard seed
pinch celery seed (optional)
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp pickling spice (optional) or maybe a bay leaf
red pepper flakes ( pinch to over a tsp depending on how zesty you want them to be) or omit altogether
1/4 tsp turmeric ( gives them color and also optional)

Add the water and vinegar to a pot along with the seasonings and heat until salt and sugar are well dissolved. Some dont heat at all, just stir well until dissolved.

Fresh dill ( I use a package of store bought)
3 cloves of garlic or more if you want
1/2 tsp pickle crisp
Occasionally I add some chopped onion

I start with a third of the dill and garlic in the bottom of the jar, then layer sliced cukes until half way, then another third of the dill and garlic, fill the rest of the way up with cukes and top with remaining dill and garlic.
Add the pickle crisp and fill with slightly cooled liquid within a half inch or so from the top and put lid on. I usually let it set at room temp for an hour or so and then refrigerate. I try to give the jar a swirl once a day to distribute the seasonings better. I usually taste them for the first time after 7 days or so as they improve as the sit. Usually best for me from 10 days on.

I play with different amounts of vinegar, anywhere from 2/3 of a cup to over a cup. The same with the seasonings, more sugar, less sugar etc. I heat the vinegar and seasonings, pour over the cukes and then top with distilled water. I write down what I put in each batch, label the jar so I can duplicate a batch I really liked. Its fun
I dont know how long they will keep but they arent usually around longer than a month and are still good and crisp at that point

[hunter]

Thanks! I'll try both this summer!

[tomatoguy]

My first cucumber plant has raised it's head. I am growing Spacemaster which is supposed to be a bush type. In my garden, however, it performs like a vining cuke on steroids.
First year I grew them, I made the mistake of growing 2 and they took over the garden even trying to choke out my cantaloupes.

mater

[kelleyville]

Yippeeeee! Finally have cukes! The Sweet Success was first and I never knew because the flowers were small and green and did not produce yellow petals until I could see the cuke! First one is about 8 inches long now and getting fatter every day...looking to pick it some time this week! This is an awesome plant, with fruit at every turn now...I hope it tastes good!

The Diva has huge leaves and is triple the size of the Sweet Success but fruits are tinier and slower at this point but are there none the less!

Cool Breezes keeps dying ;( may never see one this year but I keep trying!

Happy Gardening
Kelley

[shelleybean]

I have a lot of Snow's set and one Suyo Long. I should be able to start picking within a week. I wish the melons would grow like the cukes do!

[duajones]

I have harvested around 20 so far from my late sown Poona Kheera. Plants look great despite the heat and being in a small container.

[Tania]

We have been enjoying fresh cucumbers for a couple of weeks now - the new GH we built this spring certainly helped to nurture these through the coldest June we had this year.

These are National Pickling, Partner F1, Spartan Dawn, and Orient Express