Pickles! Simple Dill Recipe

I absolutely love pickles, especially cucumber pickles, and my husband loves to experiment with different flavours. I thought, since anyone growing Zukes or Cukes would be drowning in them right now, I would share a traditional dill and garlic recipe. So, no need to foist the extras on the neighbours! (Unless you want to, of course)

Ingredients
Anything you want to pickle!
- Cucumbers
- Broccoli stems
- Asparagus
- Carrots
- ect...

4 cucumbers ( 3 - 4 inches)

4 cloves garlic
1 cup Fresh Dill, chopped
1 tsp Coriander seeds
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Whole peppercorns
1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 cup Water
1 tbsp Sea Salt
Optional:
1 Lime (juiced)

Any glass container with a lid that seals, regular glass tupperware works great!

 
Directions

Pour water into a large bowl, about 2 cups, then mix in and dissolve the salt. Once salt is completely dissolved add the apple cider vinegar. Then, add all of your other herbs and spices. Let this mixture sit while you prep your cucumbers.

(I've added lime juice as optional, since the hint of citrus is really nice to add to pickles during the summer and the price just dropped back to something reasonable this week.)

Give them a quick wash to remove any excess dirt residue, then cut them into quarters. If you prefer whole cucumber pickles, then be aware that they will take a bit longer to "cure" before being ready to munch on.

Bathe your cucumbers in the pickling liquid for about two hours (three hours for whole cucumbers). If they start floating, just set an upside down pot lid on top to submerge them.

Afterwards, separate the cucumbers into your glass containers, then pour the pickling mixture into each container to fill it. Seal it up and refrigerate.

The usual wait time is about 2 days for really lightly flavoured pickles and 1 week for a good strong flavour. They keep for about 1 month.

Enjoy!

Creamy Honey-Orange Salad Dressing

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbsp honey
1/2 cupplain yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp mustard
3/4 tsp grated orange peel
3 Tbsp orange juice
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS

Blend together the honey, yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, and orange peel. Gradually mix in orange juice and vinegar.

Green Beans with Mustard

INGREDIENTS

3/4 lb green beans, trimmed
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp stone ground mustard
Sea salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Fill a bowl with ice water.

Cook beans in a large pot of salted boiling water just until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain beans and transfer to ice water. Drain well in a colander and pat dry.

Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Saute beans with mustard and salt and pepper, stirring, until heated through, about 4 minutes.

Roasted Turnips with Maple-Mustard Glaze

INGREDIENTS

4 lbs turnips, peeled, and cut into 1-inch wedges
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 Tbsp stone-ground mustard
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

Place the turnips in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cook the turnips in boiling water for 5 minutes to soften. Drain well and set aside.

Lightly oil a large baking dish and set aside.

In a saucepan, place the maple syrup, mustard, olive oil, toasted sesame oil, and salt and pepper, and simmer over low heat for 3 minutes to blend the flavours. Place the drained turnips in the prepared baking dish and pour the warm maple-mustard mixture over the turnips. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, basting the turnips with the sauce every 20-30 minutes, or until the turnips are golden brown and very tender.

Serves 8 - 10.