Saturday, September 03, 2011

Bread & Butter Pickles....

We stopped by our friends' house yesterday.  They said they had lots of cucumbers.  They weren't kidding.  I didn't even take half of what they offered me, but I did get some gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, green peppers, a watermelon, a cantaloupe and some okra.  What I will do with okra, I'm not quite sure.  Anyway, I commenced to begin with the cucumbers this morning making bread & butter pickles -- the family's favorite from the Ball Blue Book of Preserving.  My book has a copyright of 1987 (almost an antique like me).  Do you think 11 pints is enough pickles for the winter?  Yeah.  And there's more.  More cukes, that is.  We'll eat as much fresh as possible, but then what?  Relish?  How much pickle relish do two people and their guests need?  I'm so happy with my fresh goodies, but a bit overwhelmed.


Check out this bounty will ya?
My wish for homegrown tomatoes has come true!  How do they do it?  They have a greenhouse to start these fine tomatoes. See the colorful ones that are yellow, orange, red & orange?  Those are called Rainbow Heirloom tomatoes.  Oh, so mild, sweet and ever so pretty.  These babies are bigger than the palm of my hand.  I think they are of the Beefsteak variety.

Don't we have some good, kind friends?
Yes, we do!

I also bought a box of Colorado Peaches to eat fresh, make pie with (one in the oven right now) and to preserve.  I'm going to be busy in the kitchen this Labor Day Weekend.  What about you?

P.S.
I only just picked one tiny Sweet One-Hundred tomato the other day from my own veggie patch.  It's a beginning, even if it is a meager beginning.

11 comments:

  1. You have so many skills. Did you learn them as you were growing up or did you seek learning as an adult? You have such a sense of family, too. Is this a heritage or something you cultivated on your own? Please know how much I enjoy your blog. I am so glad you are willing to share!reve

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  2. Pickles! How nice! I made some in high school home economics, but that's the last time! Your tomatoes will grow, Jody. What will you do with them? Can I come over for peachy pie?

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  3. G'day Gumbo Lily. That box of goodies looks ever so tasty.I'm curious about the bread and butter pickles. Are they pickled pickles that you eat on bread and butter? I have not heard of them before at least not by that name. I am sure whatever they are they would be yummy. Take care. Liz...

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  4. Dana,
    I learned many skills growing up at home from my step-mom. Then when I married (at 19) I learned a lot about canning, chickens, and ranch life from my mother-in-law. Some other skills I learned on my own as an adult because I wanted to.

    Pom Pom,
    The tomatoes are growing, but just not ripening yet. I want to can some of the tomatoes for the winter soups and stews. Yes, come for peach pie.

    QuilterLiz,
    The bread & butter pickles are pickled cucumbers. They are a sweet style pickle made with onions and the spices: mustard seed, tumeric, celery seed, ginger, and peppercorns. I've read that they are named such because in the Depression Era they were as commonly eaten as bread & butter -- a basic.

    Clarice,
    Pear sauce sounds good! I've got a few pears to eat or do something tasty with!

    Thanks for your comments and questions.

    Jody

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  5. Hi there Jody,
    It looks beautiful. What a gorgeous box of goodies. Your pickles are pretty too.
    I love my Ball Cookbook and it is about as old as yours. I also have recipes from my Mom and my Aunts for things they made long ago and they are such treasures to me now.
    It looks like you will be busy.
    Have fun,
    My peaches are almost ripe too.
    I have been going out and eating them off the tree. You know just doing taste tests.
    Have a wonderful weekend.

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  6. Boy, lots of canning for you Ms. Gumbo -- you lucky girl. have a good time -- and a good weekend!

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  7. Hi Jody - thanks for the comment on my blog. Your pickles look fabulous! Why do we call them "Bread and Butter" pickles?

    Please link in to my Thrifty Thursdays - your blogis full of such wonderfully creative ideas for using God's bounty in a frugal way.

    Sunday blessings x

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  8. Beautiful pickles! Bread and butter are my favorite too. What generous friends, and those tomatoes are gorgeous. They really know what they're doing. Heirlooms have returned to our gardens with full force, I'm so glad to see!

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  9. My goodness, you are industrious. Good for you! Those pickles look so good and such beautiful heirloom tomatoes. All I've managed to put up this year is one bushel of not very good peaches (too hot and dry here in TX this year ;(). I found some wonderful produce in NC, and brought home a peck of their good peaches in one of my carry on bags. I'm afraid they got a little squished in the process, but they were still so good! I bet the security people thought I was a strange one when they peeked in my bag ;).
    Blessings,
    GG

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  10. Yay for tomatoes! I hope yours will ripen soon.

    We had a good cucumber crop earlier in the season, but I didn't pickle any. I love pickles, but I'm the only one in the family who does, I fear. Fortunately, several of us are cucumber lovers, so we pretty much ate them all up fresh from the vine.

    The one thing I didn't get my hands on this summer was a bushel of peaches. I would have very much liked to make some peach preserves. Next summer, I guess!

    xofrances

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  11. Those tomatoes are a beautiful sight! Those ARE good friends.

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