PICKLES, pickles and more pickles!

Over the last month, Graham's garden has proven us fruitful!!!  We have had a KILLER amount of gherkins, as well as cherry 100 tomatoes, carrots and beets.  We have FULL GROWN corn, instead of the baby corn, the package from Thailand promised us, as well as herbs and lettuce galore!  It was an experimental garden this year, planted a bit too late (due to our honeymoon), so next year, he has a whole mapped out plan.

Graham has become "best friends" with his garden.  It's his solitary time and really enjoys bringing stuff in for me, while I cook...usually in PURE EXCITEMENT! I am so proud of him, and am glad that he has found a passion since we moved into this house!

Needless to say, I have spent the last month, almost every other day, making between 3-4 jars of pickles.  I found an easy recipe for refrigerator pickles, as we don't have a canner, and our pots are "too nice" to boil vinegar etc in them, in fear that we will ruin them.  Looks like next year, I will be on the hunt for a canner. We are fully ready to hand some of these experimental pickles over to family and friends, as we have about 20+ jars in the fridge as I write!!!

Some turned out more like a sweet pickle, some turned out a bit too sour, some are garlicky and some are just right (kind of reminds me of Goldilocks and the 3 bears, no?).  We love opening a new jar and seeing what the taste will be like.  But this pickle loving freak knows this...

I WILL ALMOST NEVER BUY ANOTHER JAR OF STORE BOUGHT PICKLES AGAIN.  The crunch, taste, freshness and joy you get out of homemade pickles, is like nothing I can describe.  All I can say is, even if they aren't "perfect", they are WAY better than anything that I have ever bought!

YUM!