GET IN A PICKLE

   I'm the first to admit it:  I have a sweet tooth.  But almost as insidious is my salt tooth, and like many of us, I'm trying to eat less salt. For over thirty years I've made and shared "Jane's Quick Crock Pickle" recipe, but last year I realized it was in need of a salt intervention. You still can't call these pickles low sodium, but they're much less salty than previously, and the lower salt content didn't affect the storage quality.
   Quick pickles are my favorite because they're not processed (less work, fresher flavor), but that means they need to be stored in the fridge, and they keep for about a year. On my Friday last week, which is actually Monday, I grabbed a bag of cucumbers, a bunch of dill and took off for my weekend. Here's how I spent  my Saturday (Tuesday) morning:

   Under cool running water, scrub about 10 pounds of pickling cucumbers
   In each quart jar, place a heaping teaspoon of pickling spice, 1 clove garlic, 1 hot pepper, 2 heads of dill (the flowery part) and a grape leaf if desired.
   Pack the jars with the washed cukes.
   Prepare brine, pour into packed jars.  Make sure all your cucumbers are submerged in brine, unlike my shoddy job, pictured here.  Let cool to room temperature, cap the jars and store in the fridge.  After about 24 hours they'll be pleasantly pickle-y.

   
BRINE:

15 cups water
3 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup pickling salt
   Bring ingredients to a boil, stirring to dissolve salt. As soon as salt is dissolved, pour into jars. Don't let brine continue to simmer or evaporation will cause a saltier flavor.


HOW MUCH----HOW MANY---WHY?

---It takes about 1 1/2 lbs. pickling cucumbers to fill a one-quart jar.
---It takes about 2 cups brine to fill a packed quart jar.
---Pickles that are hollow are fine to eat. The hollow center is caused by growing conditions.
---Grape leaves are a natural crisping agent, and keep cucumbers snappy.
---Pickling salt is different from table salt in that it is simply and only salt; no additives to keep it from clumping.  If your pickling salt turns into a brick, put it in a sturdy bag and whack it with a mallet until
it's free pouring again.
---Cloudy brine can be caused by using table salt which contains iodine and anti-caking ingredients.

NEVER APOLOGIZE, NEVER EXPLAIN.  That's a cookery lesson I learned from my mother-in-law, Jane, she of the eponymous Quick Crock Pickles.  Whenever I make something and it's not quite right, I try not to apologize when I serve it.  For the pickles that I found too salty a few years ago, every time I served them at a party, I told people:  "I hope you like these, they're Norwegian pickles." People loved my Norwegian pickles. Substitute YOUR ethnicity when you serve something that's not quite up to specs, and people will think they're enjoying a wonderful heirloom recipe.

Fruitfully yours,

KARIN