Pickles!!

I got the pickles done!! :-D
These pickles are our family favorite - Garlic Dill Pickles - they have the best flavor!  The dill and garlic aren't too strong, and they are somewhat soft, but juicy -- I wish I could make them a little crispier, but I don't want to change anything about them, and everyone loves them just the way they are!!

The best thing about canning these pickles is that is SO quick and easy....it took me less than two hours from start to finish!  That's because it's a cold-pack recipe, meaning I fill the unheated jars with the cold, cut-up cucumbers, and pour the unheated vinegar/water liquid in, then boil them.....can you follow all that?? LOL
That's ok, I took pictures! :-D

Here's the pile of cucumbers I've picked and saved in my fridge.....

I'm sure there are more that are ready to pick in the garden, but I don't want to know about that right now!

I used six quart jars, and I dropped 1 1/2 tablespoons of chopped garlic in each one.....

I buy the large jars of garlic that are already chopped, so it's super easy!

I cut the cucumbers up in round slices, because that's our favorite way to eat them, and I like to make the slices thick.....

I fill each jar with the cucumbers, and stuff a few sprigs of dill in each one, too.....

Or, they can be put in first.....

I LOVE the smell of fresh dill, especially mixed with the garlic smell!!!!  YUMMY!

Then it's time to make the brine - 8 1/2 cups of water + 2 cups of white vinegar + 1 cup of kosher salt.....

Pour it in up to the top!!!

Stick them in the canner....

....boil for 10 minutes, and they are done!!!!

They should sit in the pantry for 2 - 3 weeks before opening them, just so the flavor of garlic and dill can get strong and saturate the pickles.  These are SO delicious!!

(pay NO attention to the Gooey Butter Cake in the background....if that's possible...! :-D)

Here's what I had left in the cucumber pile.....

Six quarts took nearly ALL of those cucumbers!!  Actually, that's great - quick and easy (and yummy!) vegetable storage! :-D

Soooooo....the weekend is here again!  YAY!!  Unfortunately, the heat and humidity are still here, too -- the dew points have been 70 and above (today it was 73!) for two weeks now!  I've had ENOUGH!! :-P  When I was outside today (for a moment), the grass was still wet, from the dew I guess, but it was 3:00pm and sunny - it's too humid to dry the dew in the grass!!!  YUCK!

Anyway, I don't know what we will be doing yet....probably trying to stay inside somewhere!  I might try and get him to help me tackle a few projects on my list (remember that? LOL), wouldn't it be nice to get back to that for a few days!! ^-^