So. Weekend # 3 for pickles.

This weekend, I broke in a new steam canner and I am sold on steam canning: less water, faster to canning temp and it holds 7 quarts vs the 4 pints of my small batch stock pot.

My local organic farm has been offering a “pickle pack”: 7 pounds of pickling cucumbers, a batch of dill and a bulb of fresh (vs cured) garlic. This makes 1 batch of the sweet and spicy pickles I like and 1 batch of dill. The last 2 weekends, I took 2 mornings to make the 2 batches.

Today: I sliced and brined all. Then, walks, play, breakfast all around and finally processing.

I took the 2nd batch of jars out of the canner at 11:30 a.m. Another walk and play session, clean up the kitchen and just after noon, I was D.O.N.E. An enjoyable process and all jars sealed.

As I started this morning, 51F. When I finished, it was 70F. With an exhaust window fan, the house and kitchen stayed cool – YEA!

It is supposed to be a warm week: 91-94 until Friday. And I think I’m ready for a break from weekend canning.

Still … it was a beautiful process … have a look!

That is the dill for the dill pickles, on the left: so pretty and so fragrant!

Nothing to do with pickles. Spearmint on the front porch.

Again, nothing to do with pickles … Auggie on his morning rounds.

We end with a clean kitchen, pickles all sealed in jars and joy in the process of preserving good food!

We’ve got pickles!!