Pickles, pickled anything (well, not anything…)

Description

My grandmother made the absolutely best pickles ever. I know that many folks would sincerely challenge me that their grandmother certainly bested mine, but I am confident that God himself would prefer my grandmother’s pickles (even if He would not admit it). So I have the genetic responsibility to try each and every year to come close to her glory. I long realized that what I may not achieve in cucumber excellence, I can at least build upon with variety. My pickles may not best Grandma Doris’s, but they’re pretty darn good. And the pickled jalapeños, cabbage, beets, and other goodies have elicited a much coveted request for my recipes from my favorite canning mentor.

Because you can’t plant only one cucumber plant, and each plant produces enough for a small village, my pickles are typically made from home grown cucumbers. I don’t use pesticides or any unnatural fertilizer in my garden. Same with my jalapeños. North central Oklahoma offers a significant challenge to anyone wishing to grown anything not sensitive to heat, cold, and extreme wind. Jalapeños (and okra) are fool proof. Cabbage, beets, any anything else I pickle may come from the local grocery store.I use my garden herbs whenever I can, filtered water, white sugar, vinegar and spices.