Garden Snob

The Hydroculture Houseplant: No Dirt Required

2012-07-25T21:02:03Z

Very excited about this project at KickStarter. No dirt. Easier Care. I simply can't wait for this project to get funded.

Fall chores abound in September

2011-09-30T11:38:00Z

If you're awaiting the first frosts, there's a long list of tasks to transition the garden safely. Now is the time to stop pruning and fertilizing and it's a good idea to bring houseplants that have been happily outside back into the house. If there are any tender plants that you want to save through the first freezes, nows the time to cover them. I've saved tomaotes all the way to Thanksgiving this way. And if you're ready to give up the outdoor plants, you can pick the green tomatoes and bring them indoors. If you wrap them in newspaper and pack them carefully, you can then bring them out to ripen as you need them.

If you have tender bulbs that won't take a cold winter, you should dig them up--that includes dahlias, caladiums, cannas and tuberous begonias. And spring flowering bulbs can be put out in their place.

It really a great time of year. There is the satisfaction of the harvest and the ease of preparing for winter. Take your time and enjoy sitting in the waning sun, taking in the beauty of the late blooming flowers and be grateful for what you have created.

Now is the time to put in some grass seed

2011-09-28T11:38:00Z

Spread seed of cool-season grasses (rye and fescue) to fill in areas where grass has died in your lawn. Thick grass won't allow weeds a foothold like bare soil would during the spring. To prepare the lawn, cut grass short. Spread seeds and keep moist during dry periods. The cool-season grasses will be strong in the spring, thus not allowing weed seeds a place to germinate.

You can redo a whole lawn or just over seed the lawn grass you have if it's not think enough. It should sprout now and in the spring and surprise you with new growth.

At Quick Lawn Turf

A Basement bin keeps composting active during the winter

2011-09-26T11:37:00Z

After you've cleaned up the garden and lawn of the dead and old debris, and turned the compost pile, you might remember that once cold sets in not much is going to be happening there in the winter. One idea to conteract that lull is to start some compost in your basment. It's easy to do.

You'll need a large wooden box or plastic bin with air holes and a cover. It can be filled at least half way with well-moistened, shredded, plain newspaper or leaves. To this, you add about a pound of red worms, ordered from a worm farm or collected from an old manure or compost pile. Then you're ready to add vegetable scraps from your kitchen, but no more than about half a pound per day. To keep the smell fresh be sure to bury the scraps completely, and avoid really tough materials like corn cobs and nut shells that the worms can't handle.

I've tried this in a primary school classroom for a science project and to explain organic gardening techniques and the kids loved it.

At Composting red worms

Gazpacho for an end of summer treat

2011-09-23T11:40:00Z

If you have given away all the vegetables you can, tossed the imperfect ones in the compost and still have more than you can deal with, try this: Make a gazpacho soup doubling the recipe below and invite friends over for an end of summer evening delight!

6 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 serrano pepper, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 lemon cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
4 cups tomato juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons medium-acid balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsely
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
sea salt and black pepper in a mill to taste
1/2 cup best-quality extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all of the vegetables in a large bowl. Add the juice, lemon juice and vinegar and stir very briefly. Stir in the fresh herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill the soup for at least one hour before serving. Remove from the refrigerator, stir, let rest for 15 minutes and then pour the olive oil over the soup and serve with some homemade bread. Fabulous!

At gazpacho

Another great end of season recipe--Corn Chowder

2011-09-22T11:40:00Z

Just as I was getting all excited about gazpacho, the weather took a turn for the worse and it's 65 degrees today. Just saying--you might try some corn chowder for a change!

1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 strip of bacon or 1 teaspoon of bacon fat or another Tbsp of butter(
I large yellow onion, chopped
1 or 2 large carrots, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
5 ears of sweet corn, kernels removed from the cobs but reserve the cobs
1 bay leaf and a sprig sweet basil
3 1/2 cups milk, whole or low fat
3 medium potatos dices
1 red bell pepper, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bacon strip and fry until the bacon renders its fat, but doesn't begin to brown, 3 or 4 minutes. Add the onions and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the carrots and celery and cook for 4 or 5 more minutes.

Break the corn cobs in half and add them to the saucepan. Add the milk and bay leaf.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer. Make sure the heat is as low as can be and still maintain a gentle simmer to prevent scalding the milk on the bottom of the pan.

Discard the cobs, the bacon strip, and the bay leaf. Raise the heat, add the potatoes, red pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, fresh ground pepper to taste, bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost fork tender.

Raise the heat, add the corn kernels and the thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

This is a great meal for a cool fall evening to celebrate the end of the hot weather garden. The corn can be overripe and still be delicious.

Enjoy!

Canners are on sale now!

2011-09-21T11:39:00Z

If you're interested in bargains for preserving your fruits and vegetables, you can find many bargains now like this one. Granite Ware canners are a classic solution to preserve fruits and vegetables. The porcelain surface and steel core absorbs energy and evenly distributes heat to the contents. This is a canner that heats rapidly.

You can preserve tomatoes or fruit, processing 7 quart jars at a time. The canner comes with rack for easy lifting jars in and out and it's smooth, hard finish that won't burn and resists staining and won't trap odors or food particles and cleans up easily. It is corrosion and chemically resistant so it will last a long time. One downside is that it is not recommended for glass stove tops.

At Graniteware Canner

Outdoor Fireplace with Copper Accents is perfect for outdoor fun

2011-09-20T11:39:00Z

If you're not ready to be couped up in the house, and you can feel fall coming on, this outdoor fireplace would get you and everyone else out of the house and prolong the fall season. Then when the weather's very cold and snowy, the snowball fighters, sledders, and hikers can come and get warm while they tell about their adventures. Outdoors, at night, it gives a lovely light and a 360 degree view of the fire. A large, hinged access door makes it easy to throw another log on the fire. A heavy mesh surround ensures optimal warmth and safety--keeping sparks off the deck. A heavy grate is built to last and support plenty of wood for less refueling and a large cooking grate lets you warm up buns and snacks. This could save everyone's sanity during the holidays and bring extra enjoyment all the rest of winter.

At Uniflame Black Outdoor Fireplace with Copper Accents

Monsanto lobbiest appointed to FDA

2011-09-19T11:39:00Z

It's one of those familiar stories in today's politics where the fox is hired to watch the hen house. Michael Taylor has moved back and forth from private industry jobs to government regulatory agencies. Mr. Taylor has worked for Monsanto in several different capacities and for the government where he pushes Monsantos agenda.

Here's the back story.

"When FDA scientists were asked to weigh in on what was to become the most radical and potentially dangerous change in our food supply -- the introduction of genetically modified (GM) foods -- secret documents now reveal that the experts were very concerned. Memo after memo described toxins, new diseases, nutritional deficiencies, and hard-to-detect allergens. They were adamant that the technology carried "serious health hazards," and required careful, long-term research, including human studies, before any genetically modified organisms (GMOs) could be safely released into the food supply.

If GMOs are indeed responsible for massive sickness and death, then the individual who oversaw the FDA policy that facilitated their introduction holds a uniquely infamous role in human history. That person is Michael Taylor. He had been Monsanto's attorney before becoming policy chief at the FDA. Soon after, he became Monsanto's vice president and chief lobbyist.

This month Michael Taylor became the senior advisor to the commissioner of the FDA. He is now America's food safety czar. What have we done?" says Jeffery Smith.

Some are saying Mr. Taylor had a change of heart and now is ready to do his job with the FDA. But one of his opinions is that more responsibility should go to local and state governments and in this current recession, none of these agencies has the funds to really do an adequate job.

THe revolving door of industy lobbiest to federal czar is really disturbing. i can't imagine that Obama couldn't find and hire an competent lawyer that doesn't have the taint of Monsanto connection, change of heart or not.

Fall bulbs will bring color and life to the spring garden

2011-09-16T11:33:00Z

Fall is the time to plant the spring flowering bulbs. This includes tulip, hyacinth, daffodil, crocus and iris which will make a profusion of color in the spring. You can group bulbs throughout the landscape and they will accent and highlight the garden. When used in naturalized settings of tall evergreens or among trees and broadleaf evergreens, they are particularly effective. .

At Spring flowering bulbs

Because they come in a variety of growing heights and a wide range of colors, their uses are as varied as their colors. Several types of varied heights and colors will create an array of beauty . You can also use bulbs in plantings of moss, ivy, vinca and low growing ground covers.

Bulbs can be effectively used in containers. They can provide spot color on the patio, in the entry area, near the driveway or in the home. Most varieties do equally well in the ground or in containers.

Mexican primrose roots easily in water

2011-09-15T11:35:00Z

We have a lack of cut flowers so in desparation for a dinner table decoration I cut some Mexican primrose and noticed that the flowers even after a week or two the flowers kept developing and opening. A quick look in the vase showed me long tendrils of roots. I quickly changed the water which I hadn't done and today they looks happier than ever.

I think putting them in soil is going to be a difficult task, but I'm going to try and see if you can develop it into a house plant. A long chance but fun to experiment with these ideas.

At Mexican primrose

A lovely garden flag for autumn

2011-09-14T11:38:00Z

If you like to have a flag flying by your home Toland has some lovely choices. It would go well on the garden gate also and is a reminder that the weather is changing and that fall comes this month.

Decorative Art Flag
Toland Flags are made from durable 600 denier polyester
Heat sublimated process permanently dyes flag fabric for long-lasting color
Toland Flags are UV, Mildew, and Fade Resistant
All Toland Flags are machine washable

At Garden flat

Rainy day! Time to trim the house plants and feed them

2011-09-12T11:39:00Z

We are housebound out here in the east with rainy drippy and rather deary weather. I'm not able to do anything outside so I decided to trim the houseplant and try to start some cuttings. Pothos is one of the most common houseplants and is a native of East Asia. It has many varieties, leaves with white, yellow, or light green variegation. Pothos will climb easily or it's tendrils will hang down which every you prefer. It can grow quite tall and hardly every flowers because it's flowering depends on it's height.

I cut off three very long straggly vines and put the growing tips with about five nodes and the top leaves in water. The leaves almost immediately perked up and after about a week I expect to see roots form from one or more of the nodes. It's good to change the water every three or four days, but it is really easy to root cuttings in water. The tricky part comes in transferring them to soil. It's best to use potting soil and vermiculite to let the root have an easy time getting used to solids.

At Pothos plant

Digging up the potatoes with the grandchildren

2011-09-09T11:36:00Z

There are some pleasures that gardening supplies that are going to be great memories for those involved. Today I dug up the potatoes that were planted in the spring with my grandchildren. I got them small trowels and gave them instructions about digging gently so they wouldn't hurt the potatoes. They dug and dug and uncovering the potatoes was like finding buried treasure.

Once they had uncovered the ones near the topsoil, I came in with the big shovel and dug a large shovelful and turned it over so they could pull out the big potatoes buried deeply. They were ecstatic and couldn't have been more pleased if we were digging up gold nuggets. After we got all the potatoes out, I let them wash them off with a hose and then we brought them in the house and they insisted on washing them again, trying to use hot water to get them really clean until I told them that was not necessary. In the end it was a job well done and they were very happy with themselves and the crop. A very fun afternoon for the family.

Beautiful and exotic--a Parrot tulip!

2011-09-08T12:30:00Z

Now that I'm thinking about fall bulb planting and this gorgeous tulip seems like a great addition to the red and yellow colors that are common in the tulip world. It has a large bulb and a mature tulip will be quite tall, as much as fourteen inches. You want to plant these beauties where viewers can take in the vivid variety of colors. The fringed petals are orange with streaks of blue, green, yellow & red.

The Blumex tulip flowers in April and May and the price on these 10 bulbs makes it a bargain.
At Blumex Parrot Tulip

Wildflower Tulips??!! A Wild Spring Show!

2011-09-07T12:30:00Z

These are little bulbs that have brilliant colors. These wildflower tuliips are the size of large crocus. They make a great ground-cover, and if you plant them in your wildflower garden, you'll have color a month before you see any other wildflower blooms!

They're also great under shrubs, along walks. Plant them once, and they're there ever spring. If you plant 7-9 bulbs per sq. ft. to make a splash in your garden the first year. These are tiny bulbs but they need to be planted deeply (4") to encourage best flowering as they spread. These tulips are perennials, they come back each spring to form larger and more colorful colonies with each passing year.

At Wildflower Mix Tulip

Purple Fountain Grass makes a great landscape plant

2011-09-06T12:30:00Z

Purple Fountain Grass is a popular annual which is easy to grow and really attractive. It grows three to four feet high. It should be planted in fertile well drained soil in full sun after all danger of frost has passed. "Purple Fountain Grass" is a vigorous grower that will quickly fill in any bed or container. The foxtail like plumes will appear mid summer and last until first frost.

Many people have tried to grow it as a house plant by digging it up and repotting it with mixed success. I am going to try this later in September before the first killing frost. This is a drought-tolerant grass that forms neat clumps of purplish-maroon blades and has rose-red flower spikes summer through fall. It's perennial in warm climates. This item is shipped as a potted one gallon plant in its original soil and container. Hardy to USDA zone 8 and all higher zones.

At Purple Fountain Grass

Saving herbs for year round use

2011-09-02T11:03:00Z

Herbs can be usually used fresh, dry, or fresh-frozen. The rule of thumb is to use twice as much of the fresh or frozen herb as the dried form as the dried from is concentrated. However, dried herbs if not put in sealed containers, soon loose their potency and develop a stale taste.

Harvesting and drying herbs is fairly easy. The volatile oils of the plant are stored mainly in the leaves and this gives the plant its aroma and taste. Air drying is the simplest method. You can hang them in a warm spot upside down after cutting off the root. Food dehydrators create a gentle flow of air which hastens the process.

The idea time of season to harvest most herbs is just when the flower buds are forming, but just before they open. The best time of day is in the morning when the dew has dried off the leaves and there is no moisture clinging to the plant. The volatile oils will be at their best this time of day.

To insure that the plant material is clean, hose them down the evening before you plan to harvest, gently spraying away any dirt which clings to the leaves.

As much as half of the growing leaves from one picking may be harvested from an annual plant. You can snip the stem at least 4 inches up from the ground, yet still above active growth. In time it will grow back and give you a second harvest before summer's end. In some cases, even a third. With perennial plants, no more than one-third should be taken

It's never to late to start herbs indoors where you can harvest all year long!

At Culinary Herbs

August 2011 Monthly Roundup for Garden Snob

2011-09-01T11:43:03Z

Bulbs

Plant bulbs in fall for blooms in spring

Decorations for Garden and Patio

Lawn furniture on sale for fall--an all weather two seat bench

Garden Books

An old approach to preserving food made new!

Garden Thoughts

Garden Tools

Industry News

Monthly Roundup

July 2011 Monthly Roundup for Garden Snob

Plants

Asiatic Lilies for fall planting

2011-09-01T11:01:00Z

Asiatic Lilies are an easy-to-grow colorful addition to any garden. They come in almost every color of the rainbow and bloom June to July. You can plant these bulbs in the fall and you should have flowers year after year. Some mulch in the winter will help the bulbs in sub zero temperatures. They're very hardy, need no staking, and are not particularly fussy about soil, as long as it drains well.

At Asiatic Lily Mix

Plant bulbs in fall for blooms in spring

2011-08-31T11:04:00Z

Now is the time in most of the country when you can start looking for bulbs that will bloom in the spring. The selections are amazing and almost every nursery has collections of mixed bulbs which include tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, and crocus as well as less familar species. I succombed to the impulse buy at Costco and got their 50 bulb mix of yellow and red rannumculus, forgetting temporarily(until I got home) that the ranunculus I planted last fall did not do well. In fact, I have not seen one, not one, ranunculus open it's flower. If the plants sent up leaves, the deer must have cropped them off as soon as they broke ground. Nonetheless, I am planting them again and hope to put some in around the new house to brighten up the heavy clay that the construction has left.

This fall bulb selection looks really interesting. It is a bulb collection of wildflowers. The picture shows tulips, daffidols and crocus.There is no information of the species but since the flowers are supposed to naturalize and spread, I'm thinking it's worth a try.

At Wild Flower Bulb Garden

Lawn furniture on sale for fall--an all weather two seat bench

2011-08-30T21:00:00Z

This two seat bench has a slightly reclined seat and arcing arms. It makes a comfortable addition to any porch, patio, deck, or yard, as well as any indoor living space. Two removable back cushions add comfort, and they independently adjust to give support high or low, where it's needed so you can actually relax and stay seated for as long as you wish. A 1-piece cushion adorns the seat and is also easily removed. The slats are far enough apart to allow rain water to fall through and dry out and close enough together to provide an even seating surface.

The Gibranta 2-seater bench is part of a collection that includes an arm chair and a coffee table. The wood is eucalyptus which is sustainably harvested. It is a beautiful hardwood with excellent weather-resistant properties. Eucalyptus is dense and naturally resistant to rot and insect infestation. It weathers to an attractive grey, but can be kept it's original bronze by oiling.

At Strathwood two seat bench

Now is the time to keep it going--Fall planting

2011-08-29T15:53:00Z

Just because fall is near we don't have to give up the garden! Right now the bounty coming out of the garden may seem overwhelming. It's hard to figure out what to do with it--can it, freeze it, give it away? But with the first frosts the bounty will diminish and if you have new seeds germinated, the promise of the garden will continue.

If you're interested in growing fall and winter crops now is the time to get your plants started. August and early September is the best time to start beets, kale, Chinese cabbage, daikons, collards, rutabaga, turnips, and mustard greens. You can also continue to sow carrot, lettuce, cilantro, arugula, and radish successions. You might wait to sow spinach in mid-September, when cooler soil temperatures make germination easier, or you can shade your seeded rows to protect them from the sun. Bush snap beans can be started, but they may need to protect them from October frosts to get much of a harvest. It's too late for all but those in the Deep South or with extended frost-free falls to sow cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.

At Siberian Kale

Spice rack makes a good seed saving container

2011-08-26T19:19:00Z

August is a great month. You can enjoy the fruits of the garden that you've worked so hard to produce. It's a month when you kind of coast a little. But it's good to remember to harvest more than the ripe tomatoes and corn. My corn just started coming in and, man, is it delicious!

Lots of plants are now making seed and it is a fairly easy task to harvest the seed also. I just cut the seeds off my Russian Kale. It is so easy to do. I just clipped the tips of the seeded stalks and put them in a paper bag. Since the stalk and seed pods are bulky, I break them up inside the bag with my hand and throw the husks away. Then the seeds can be stored in a plastic bag and labeled. The labeling is really necessary because although you think you might remember, the seeds of all the cabbage family look exactly alike. So be careful you know which is which.

The cilantro is also going to seed. The seed of cilantro is the spice coriander. So the seed can be used to replinish your spice rack as well as stored for more cilantro. Try planting the seed now and to get in a last crop of cilantro. It is a quick growing plant and can provide tasty additions to salads and salsas up until the first frost.

At Spice Rack

Lots of good buys on lawn furniture

2011-08-25T19:19:00Z

At this time of year, as autumn approaches, the lawn furniture begins to go on sale. Amazon is full of bargains. This Strathwood Chaise lounge would provide years of comfortable ease. The back adjusts to five positions and there is a tray that extends out and then folds back in. The chair's slotted surface allows rain to flow through, rather than collect and damage the wood. Of course the down side is you have to buy or make a cushion for this model, also on sale. Rust-resistant hardware and mortise and tenon construction add to the piece's strength and durability.

It's made of eucalyptus wood which is hard and weathers well. It will weather when exposed to the elements, turning a soft shade of silver/gray similar to the weathering of teak. In addition, when untreated, natural splitting or cracks will appear, but this will not affect the durability of the furniture. If you want to guard against this weathering process and to maintain a desired look, apply coats of a hardwood oil.

At Chaise Lounge

A float recliner for easy living

2011-08-24T19:18:00Z

A floater is perfect for the pool, the lake, or the river, maybe even the ocean! This floater features a backrest, headrest, and an ottoman-style open footrest. It even has a built in cupholder so you can sip while you lounge around.

The Spring Float recliner is made of tough ABS plastic, with a super-quick Jet Valve for easy inflation and deflation. It's also a breeze to carry thanks to the mesh carrying bag, which lets you conveniently tote it to the beach or pool. And when you're done on the water, the Spring Float folds up easily for transport and storage. The Spring Float recliner--which supports up to 250 pounds--measures 17.5 by 2.3 by 20 inches when folded.

You might as well reward yourself for all the hard work you put into the garden!

At Float Recliner

Monsanto has a new GMO! Sweet corn!

2011-08-23T19:18:00Z

Organic consumers association reports on Monsanto's new frankenfood, made specifically for humans. Here is their article.

Monsanto's New Sweet Corn, Another Unregulated, Unlabeled Frankenfood

Government regulation of genetically engineered crops, already weak, is increasingly non-existent. The latest example of this new hands-off policy is the commercialization of Monsanto's first flagship product for the produce aisle: genetically engineered sweet corn, containing the Bt toxin and herbicide-resistant genes.

Monsanto's new sweet corn produces Bt toxin, a genetically modified version of an insecticide from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. Until now, Monsanto's Bt corn and cotton crops have mostly been used in animal feed and highly processed ingredients. Even with this limited exposure, Bt toxin has already been found in the blood of pregnant women and fetuses. No one knows what will happen to people who eat Monsanto's new Bt sweet corn, but Bt crops have proven deadly for grazing animals from livestock to monarch butterflies.

Monsanto's new sweet corn is also "RoundUp Ready," meaning it can tolerate unlimited amounts of Monsanto's herbicide RoundUp. Roundup causes endocrine disruption, damage to DNA, reproductive and developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, and cancer, as well as birth defects. Many of these effects are found at very low doses, comparable to levels of pesticide residues found in food and the environment. Monsanto's new sweet corn will have a lot more RoundUp on it than non-genetically engineered varieties.

This is outrageous! We've got to fight back against unregulated, unlabeled genetically engineered foods!

Take Action!

Blackberries are ripe!!!!

2011-08-22T19:17:00Z

My neighbor has about two acres of Himalayan Blackberries gone wild. They become ripe in August and I did the very first picking this week, getting the lower fruit easily. I was able to pick a half gallon in a half an hour. A fully ripe blackberry is one of the most delicious of all the fruits--just so sweet and fragrant and melt in the mouth good. Those are the ones that just fall off the stem.

I brought the berries home and used an old recipe to make a cobbler. Delicious! But one has to give up all thought of health. The recipe starts with melting a cup of butter and pouring it into a 9 by 11 inch pan. Gently cook the berries with 3/4 cup sugar just until juicy. Mix 3/4 cup sugar, one tablespoon baking powder and one cut flour with 2/3 cup milk. Pour the berries into the pan and then pour the pancake like mixture of flour into the berries and bake for 30 minutes. Wow! Try it with some ice cream!

If you decide to plant some vines, be careful where you place them as they tend to escape and spread and can take over an area and they are very difficult to get rid of. But the fruit can't be beat.

At Blackberry Vine

This Summertime salad just keeps on giving

2011-08-12T13:54:00Z

Now that the Sungold tomatoes are ripening and the cucumbers and beans are ready to be picked I can begin to make my favorite summertime green bean salad. The Sungold tomatoes are cherry type and are the sweetest of all the tomatoes. I usually plant a six pack of them to make sure I get enough for all the summertime salads.

The green bean salad I make is very simple. Steam the green beans for about 10 minutes and add them with whatever tomatoes are on hand. Slice cucumbers and a red onion, add olive oil and balsamic vinegar and salt to taste. It's sooooo simple. I always keep the leftover salad and the next day add more ingredients and serve it again. You can add broccoli and some sweet corn for variety. Potatoes can also be used for a potato salad without mayonnaise.

So enjoy the bounty of the garden in mid summer. These are the months we have been working for all year long.

At Sun Gold Tomato 20 Seeds - Golden Orange Cherry - Sweet

Simple and quick--a great pickled cucumber recipe

2011-08-11T13:53:00Z

This recipe is so simple and it produces pickled cucumbers in a couple of days! I friend gave to me with a quart jar of the pickled cucumbers. So delicious.

Put 1/4 cup of white vinegar and one teaspoon of salt in a quart jar. Add one teaspoon dill or celery seed and one tablespoon of powerdered garlic and a few cut garlic cloves. Fill jar half full with water. Add as many cucumbers as will fill the jar and fill to the top with water. Let set in the fridge for two days and open and eat. No heating, no sealing--it couldn't be more simple and they are very fresh crisp and delicious. They don't keep as long as processed pickles, but then they won't last long once you taste them.

For more pickle ideas, this book might help:

At Pickles and Relishes