Pickle perfect

There are many analogies that can be drawn between pickles and other things - such as having a baby.

Pickles and birthing require lots of boiling water; or at least it used to. Pickles still require boiling water for sterilization and for a hot water bath that serves two purposes. One, to meld flavors inside the jar and to properly heat up the lids so when cooling occurs, the rubber ring seals to the glass creating an air tight environment appropriate for storing.

Garden can be likened to a lot of things - say hunting and gathering. To find enough cucumbers for pickles can be like a scavenger hunt that the vine always wins. After the hunt, the bounty becomes a source of pride and there are photos taken and the bragging begins.

This early morning, while it was still gray and the wind had not yet arrived in our yard, I went on a cucumber hunt. This was not my idea, but rather my husband who insisted I put up some dill pickles. Of course, in my garden planning I had plant both pickling cucumbers, dill and onion. My garlic was from Marv Baker's garden. There were exactly five cloves of fiery hot garlic, enough cucumbers for five quart jars, and plenty of onion and dill to top it all off.

Coincidence. I think not. A perfectly matched pickle project.

Each quart jar contains enough cucumbers to fill, but not squeezed tight. There is a quarter of a small onion, a garlic toe, and a teaspoon of pickling spice. The juice is one cup of vinegar, two cups of water and one tablespoon pickling salt for each quart. Those three ingredients are brought to a boil, and then poured over each jar. The jars and list have been sterilized with boiling water prior to filling. The canner of boiling water awaits on the top of the stove.

The water bath is supposed to be 20 minutes. My mom said my grandfather Kaseman used to put them in the sink with hot water and let the water cool and that was it...