This spring, we finally got around to joining the local organic CSA. Well, two, actually: one for vegetables and one for meat. I think in the past, I’d always been convinced we’d start our own garden, but finally realized I just didn’t have the time I wanted to devote to it. I was worried, too, that if we joined a CSA, we’d get a bunch of veggies we’d never use and be wasting our money.
So far, not a problem. Each week, we get things like lettuces and cabbage, squash and turnips, fennel and basil, onions and fresh garlic, and last week, a boatload of cucumbers. And at our house, cukes mean one thing: pickles!
Our oldest and I busted out the canning gear during nap one afternoon and went to town. I’ve only ever canned once before, and that was jam, so this was a whole new thing for us. Much reading of recipes was involved (we used my trusty Better Homes Cookbook, a gift from my mother, and which has never failed me). Lots of fun, and when we were done, so much easier than I expected that I couldn’t wait to do it again.
These are dills. Next batch: bread and butter sandwich slices. My husband, for his part, is both impressed and thrilled, and tells everyone about our homesteading skills. Which is almost as cool as the pickles themselves.
