summer homesteading

I spent my Labor Day weekend in 1889.  In an area of the country where time has stood still. 
 
Where early settlers crossed vast terrains with great intention, bearing no promises.  Where buildings, erected by the pioneers and early settlers, still stand -- with purpose.
 
Still in a nuclear age, neglected by the present.
 
 
Irene's Dill Pickles | makes 4 quart jars
 
5 cups cider vinegar
1 cup non-iodized salt
2 cups water
Grape leaves
Cucumbers
Garlic cloves, peeled
Red pepper flakes
 
Boil together cider vinegar, water, and salt in a large pot.
 
Place a garlic clove, fresh dill, and red pepper flakes in the bottom of each hot, sterilized jar.  Add a grape leaf to the side of each jar, pressing it to the glass.  Pack jars with fresh cucumbers, layering from large to smaller on top.
 
Fill the jars with hot liquid, leaving about and inch of headspace.  Place lids on top and process for 7 minutes.  Allow jars to rest on a tea towel until sealed.
 
Note: (Irene's original recipe from 1955 yields 8-10 quarts and does not use a water bath canner.  If you try this method and your jars don't seal, store the unsealed jars in your refrigerator once cool.)
 
Dilly Beans | makes 4 pints
 
2 pounds green beans, tops removed
4 sprigs of fresh dill
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup canning salt
3 cups vinegar
3 cups water
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
 
Add a few sprigs of fresh dill weed to each jar, along with 1 garlic clove and a 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
Bring vinegar, water, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat.  Allow to gently boil for 2 minutes  Pack hot jars with green beans and ladle pickling brine into jars until beans are covered.

Wipe rims clean, add lids, and process jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.  Allow your jars to rest on a tea towel until cooled.  Immediately refrigerate any unsealed jars.

 

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