Cold Brine Dill Pickles

Most pickle recipes call for the use of a hot brine, but this recipe uses a cold brine. In my house, that’s good for a couple of reasons: 1) one of my family members absolutely despises the smell of hot vinegar, and 2) no heating means these pickles are extremely fast and easy to make. Here we go.

Start by washing pickling cucumbers. Don’t be tempted to use regular cucumbers - they just don’t hold up very well to pickling.

See those fuzzy things on the end of some of the cucumbers? Those are the dried up blossoms - they grow on the opposite of the stem end. You want to remove those.

Like I said, you definitely want to trim the blossom end away (they can make your jar of pickles cloudy). If you’re not sure which end is which, feel free to trim both ends, then cut the cucumbers into spears. I usually quarter them, but if your cukes are very large, cut them into 6 or 8 spears (if they’re very small, just cut them in half).

Place the sliced cucumbers into clean jars before adding the spices. Top off each jar with the brine mixture, following the directions in the recipe below.

Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• quart canning jars https://amzn.to/3h6ikZw

• half gallon canning jars https://amzn.to/3AdwTyK

• large mouth plastic jar lids https://amzn.to/3fDzOJ4

• canning/pickling salt https://amzn.to/3DWJvPz

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Cold Brine Dill Pickles

makes four pints, two quarts, or one half gallon

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

For the Brine:

• 8 cups cold water

• 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar (at least 5% acid)

• 1/3 cup (96g) canning/pickling salt (may substitute coarse kosher salt)

For the Pickles:

• 20-25 medium size pickling cucumbers, washed and ends trimmed

• 1 tablespoon whole dill seed

• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

• 1 teaspoon whole coriander seed

• 1/2 teaspoon whole mustard seed (any color)

• 1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

To Make the Brine:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the water, vinegar, and canning/pickling salt until the salt is completely dissolved; set aside.

To Prepare the Pickles:

1. Evenly distribute the spices among the jar(s).

2. Place the sliced cucumbers in the jar(s).

3. Fill the jar(s) with enough brine to completely cover the sliced cucumbers, leaving about 1/2-inch of space at the top of the jar.

4. Cover the jar(s) lightly with a cloth and allow them to sit, undisturbed, in a cool place for 24 hours.

5. Replace cloth cover with jar lid(s); transfer to refrigerator for 3 days before enjoying. Use within 6 months.

Notes

1. This recipe will fill one 1/2 gallon jar, two quart jars, or four pint jars.

2. Be sure to use pickling cucumbers only.

3. Be sure to trim the blossom end of the cucumbers (it’s fine to trim both ends).

4. Use only canning/pickling salt or coarse kosher salt.

adapted from Amanda’s Cookin’

Garden Fresh Tomato Sauce

For me, there are few things more enjoyable than a simple bowl of pasta topped with the most delicious sauce made from ripe, fresh garden tomatoes. You can use just about any kind of tomatoes that are sweet and ripe, but I prefer Roma tomatoes because they contain a lot of tomato pulp and very little liquid. No need to peel or de-seed the tomatoes before cooking - a food mill will make quick work of that after cooking, and it’s so much fun to use!

Roma tomatoes are also called Italian plum tomatoes, sauce tomatoes, or paste tomatoes. As I said before, they contain a lot of tomato pulp and little liquid, making them a fantastic option for tomato sauce. The ones I most often find at grocery stores are oval-shaped, but farmer’s markets frequently have pear-shaped beauties. Either way, you can’t go wrong.

Roughly chop the tomatoes (no need to peel) and cook them with the ingredients listed in the recipe below, stirring frequently, until soft and mushy (7-10 minutes).

Once the tomatoes are cooked, allow them to cool and then process them through a food mill to remove all the tough bits of skin. This is a step my kiddos used to love helping with. Throw those skins in the compost bin when you’re done.

I like my fresh garden tomato sauce to be on the thinner side, but you can certainly reduce the sauce on the stovetop to reach whatever consistency you desire.

The recipe written below will result in 3 to 3 1/2 cups of sauce. I like to store it in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze it for longer storage.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• food mill https://amzn.to/33iBQYG

• garlic press https://amzn.to/3tkedtq

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Garden Fresh Tomato Sauce

makes approximately 3 1/2 cups

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds ripe Italian Roma (plum) tomatoes, roughly chopped

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• splash of red wine (or red wine vinegar)

• optional: sprig of fresh basil

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook chopped tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and red wine (or vinegar), stirring frequently, until tomatoes soften completely and you can mush them with a wooden spoon (7-10 minutes).

2. Turn off heat and stir in optional basil sprig; allow tomatoes to cool enough so that they’re easy to handle (20-30 minutes).

3. Remove basil sprig and process tomatoes in a food mill to remove all the skins.

4. If your sauce is too thin, you can reduce it over medium heat until it reaches the consistency you like, otherwise, transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week (or freeze for longer storage).

Notes

• For a little extra luxury, stir 1 tablespoon butter into hot sauce before serving.

• To freeze in glass jar, be sure to use a wide-mouth jar and leave 1 inch of headspace before freezing. Plastic freezer bags are also suitable - freeze them flat so the sauce will thaw quickly when needed.