In a pickle? (Bet you can't guess where this is going.)

We came back from our week in New Mexico to a garden full of giant squash.  So what's a girl to do?  I can tell ya what this girl did.  I made pickles!  Spicy bread and butter pickles to be exact.

  

Last year, I bought the mix from the store for bread and butter pickles.  But I really didn't like all of the ingredients.  This year, I found a recipe that I liked and tried it out.  I had to buy the spices, which did cost some money but I can make several batches.  This is mustard seed, celery seed, ginger, tumeric, and peppercorn.   

I sliced the squash (patty pan) with some white onion and then gave it a ice cold bath.  This seems to help the squash stay a bit more crisp when pickled.

I sliced some jalapeno from the garden.

I mixed the spices with some sugar.  These are bread and butter pickles so them must have sugar!

Then I pulled out my trusty gallon of white vinegar.

I mixed the vinegar with the spices and put it on the stove to boil.

While I was waiting, I drained the squash and packed it into a clean and sterilized jar along with a half of the jalapeno.  Then you ladel the boiling hot spiced liquid over the squash.  You need to tap the jar to get rid of the air bubbles then leave about 1/4 inch at the top of the jar. 

I wiped the rim of the jars to make sure they were clean then I put on the lids and rings and dropped the jars into a waterbath.

After boiling for 10 minutes we have pickles!  Actually, they need to sit for about 2 weeks to get the best flavor.  It's hard to wait but it will be worth it.  See the yellow color?  That's the tumeric, not Yellow #5!


This is not a recipe but I do have a recipe.  If anyone is interested in the actually recipe that I used, leave a comment with your e-mail address and I will send it to you.  Otherwise, you can find a recipe that suits you online.  It's important to find one that is specific to your tastes.  That is why I didn't post this one!  I just wanted to show you how easy it is to do yourself.  Here are a few sites that have similar recipes:

http://pickyourown.org/breadandbutterpickles.htm

http://www.mtnlaurel.com/Recipes/squashpickles.htm

http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/lisa-crum/bread-and-butter-squash-pickles-regular-and/vegetarian-vegetable-appetizer