A Garden Update + Homemade Dill Pickles

The end of July means that our garden is at it's peak.
My zuchinni and squash are still growing like crazy.
 Last week, I harvested tomatoes for the first time, I had so many! 
This was my loot from just one day last week! I picked more just a few days later.

Early Girl Tomaotes (Upper Left), Zucchini & Squash (Upper Right), Cucumbers (Middle Right), Green Onions & Carrots that grew too close to each other...Fail (Lower Right) and Yellow Pear, Cherry & Sun Sugar Tomatoes (Lower Left)
 

Every year our cucumbers are one of the things that grow like crazy and I get so many and I am not quite sure what to do with all of them.
I give them away to neighbors & friends.
I've had so many this year & decided to make some homemade pickles!
They are very easy to make & it only takes a few minutes of prep work.

 Here is what you need {per pint sized jar}

Sliced Cucumbers

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 sprig of fresh dill

1/2 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp whole peppercorns

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 T sea salt

Water

I used cucumbers from my garden, but you can use cucumbers from the grocery store or Farmers Market (From this harvest of cucumbers below, I made 8 pint sized jars of pickles. 4 jars of pickle spears & 4 jars of sliced pickle chips)

 Slice your cucumbers:

Place in jar:

 Add spices to the top:

 Then, add the fresh dill:

Fill jar with water (leaving about 1/2 inch of space from the top of the jar) 

Make sure cucumbers are completely submerged. Put on lid.

Leave on the counter for 3-5 days. 

Test a pickle on day 2. 
If it is tastes good to you, then put the jar in the fridge.
{This stops the fermentation process}
 You know the pickles are perfect when they taste great & they still have their crunch. 
If you leave them out on the counter too long, they will lose their crunch and get really soft so it’s important to put them in the fridge when they have the flavor you desire. If you live in a hot climate, the pickles will get soft quicker.

Your pickles will keep for 4 months in the fridge. 

Enjoy!

So far, everything in our 2014 Garden has produced except the strawberries (I think something is eating them). I ripped out all the lettuce last week because it had reached it's peak and when the weather hits 100 + degrees, lettuce is not happy. I was thrilled with how my lettuce had been doing and I loved going out to my garden each day to grab some lettuce. I will miss that!
You can read more Garden Updates {HERE}

And, as a reminder, my Rodan + Fields Christmas in July Special ends on Thursday!
 !
Read more about it {HERE}