Pickling & New Art!

In between the garden work, yard work and pickling (see more on this below ;), I'm busy painting! Thought you might enjoy a sneak peak at one of my new Christmas Card paintings  for this year.  This piece will be called 'We Three Queens'. I spent several hours the other day photographing our girls out in the pasture - I like to use pictures for reference for accuracy and detail. (plus it is a great reason to get outdoors!)

Thankfully, some things in life never change.....like the frenzy and excitement of PICKLING!! It is a social event, a tradition, and a survival of the fittest at our house. Although we grow them in our own garden....on 'Pickling Day', we buy 3 bushel of fresh, locally grown cucumbers, and can 150 jars of the best home-made pickles in the world, ever, in a day!  

First - the most important ingredient - fresh, clean, homegrown cucumbers!  (Washed all 3 bushel in the wash machine - quick and simple....add towels.....it really works and saves a ton of time ; )

You'll need dill!  Lots and lots of dill....if you don't have enough - check with your neighbors (another great thing about country living, we share sugar, flour, eggs and dill ; )  

People....you will need lots of people too!  Friends, family, neighbors, the guy off the street (make sure he washes his hands).....and a system - give everybody a job and make it an assembly line!

Great activity for teenagers too - they are so creative and know how to make this a fun job!  See how they can also be inspiring role models for the younger kids too?

Almost there................

TaaaDaaa - 150 quart of the best homemade pickles in the world. We use Grandma Mohr's 'Cres' recipe. I have never tasted such a wonderful dill pickle in my life, this recipe is archived in my cookbook forever! We will share this recipe in our newsletter, going out next week.  If you would like a copy (I know you do) be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter HERE!

Happy pickling, and thanks for reading....................

Bonnie