Garlic Dill Pickles

I went to Dallas for a few days to spend some time with two amazing friends and while I was gone Holland held the fort down! He took care of Hannah and Bleu and he tended to our growing garden. 

In case you forgot how it looked in the beginning of our blog take a look. It looks like a jungle now compares to how it was in the beginning!
Garden before it was a jungle


The bees have been buzzing and are helping us take care of the garden as well. Holland usually goes out there when he gets home from work to pick out weeds and pick vegetables that are ready. We have been getting great amounts of okra, peppers and CUCUMBERS!

Since there were so many cucumbers, Holland made our first round of pickles! **I just want to shout out to Holland for taking pictures so we can post on our blog!I mean look at this, he did awesome!

He told me he separated it like this so that he could just grab the garlic dill and jalapeños for each jar. My OCD person that lives inside me shouted out at the mountains in excitement at this because this is totally something I would do. I don't know if I am rubbing off my tendency son Holland or if it has been there all along ;). Love you babe. 

He chose a recipe from the book called "Dinosaurs Bar-B-Que". He does not actually have the book, but has found recipes he likes from it online. Since he is more adventurous than I am, he tweaked the recipe a little bit so here it is(with Hollands edits from what he changed-not much). Be sure to pickle the cucumbers for about two weeks in the fridge. We will enjoy these when we get back from Canada! 

Garlic dill pickles

3-4 lbs of pickling cucumbers

1/4cup chopped garlic

2 3 jalapenos sliced

1/2cup chopped fresh dill

combine the following in a large saucepan and bring to a boil:

4 cups white vinegar  2 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 cups Apple Cider vinegar

2 cups water

6 tbs kosher salt

1/2 cup sugar 1/3 cup sugar

5 heaping tbs of pickling spice

2 tbs mustard seed

2 tbs black peppercorns

 

let brine cool slightly, and pour over cukes/peppers/garlic/dill. refrigerate.

**Holland also added an okra into each jar and some jalapeño seeds into two of the jars to give them some extra spice.

Here is the brine.  Be sure to sanitize your jars by boiling them in hot water for about ten minutes!